Just a Dream
by Today4U365
Summary: Harry's life is falling apart. Hermione broke his heart, Ron is dead, and Ginny blames him. He turns to a forgotten friend for help, much to that person's surprise. But is it real, or is it all just a dream? COMPLETE!
1. Remembering

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the plot in this story. Please don't sue!!! **

**Summary: Harry's life is falling apart. Hermione broke his heart, Ron is dead, and Ginny isn't speaking to him. In desperation, Harry turns to a forgotten friend for help, much to that person's surprise. But is it real, or is it all just a dream?**

**A/N: Okay, I know what you all are thinking. "Sydney is an idiot! She already has four stories, three of which she is working to update. What in the world is she writing another one for?" Yeah, I'm kind of thinking the same thing myself. Which is surprising, really, 'cause I hardly ever think…oh well. Anyways, this idea popped into my head the other day when I was in Biology class. Okay, well, this is kind of a turn-around from the happy/humorous/fun stories that I have been writing. It's going to kind of be a depressing sort of fic. And, yes, I'm sorry, but Sirius is dead in this story…at least, at first. Hmm…oh well. I hope you enjoy!! Please R&R!!!!**

**Just so you know:**

_**Anything in italics symbolizes things that are memories, flashbacks, if you will.

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Chapter 1: Remembering

Sixteen-year-old Harry Potter sat at his desk, staring out the window of the smallest bedroom of Number 4 Privet Drive. His emerald-green eyes were scanning the sky for a sign of his snowy owl Hedwig, whom he hoped was bringing a letter from one of his friends. He knew this was a false hope, but he still wished it to happen all the same. He absently ran a hand over the lightning bold-shaped scar on his forehead as the memories came flooding back to him against his will.

_Harry quietly opened the door to the Room of Requirements, not wanting to disturb the curly-haired witch sitting on a couch in the farthest corner of the room. Her nose was buried in a book, as usual. Harry stepped into the room and silently shut the door behind him. He walked over to the pretty brunette and watched her intently, willing her to look up and see him standing there. When she didn't, he smiled._

_"Good book?" he asked amusedly. She jumped and looked up, startled, ready to strangle the idiotic person who had disturbed her reading. Her expression softened when she saw who it was. _

_"Harry, great Merlin, you scared me," she said, closing the book and setting it down on the table next to her. "Come on, sit down." She patted the spot on the couch next to her. Harry gladly obliged. _

_"So, what did you want to meet me here for?" he asked his girlfriend. To his surprise, she suddenly looked a bit nervous, and she began wringing her hands, a habit that Harry had not seen her do since their fourth year. "Hermione? What's the matter?"_

_"Nothing…nothing's the matter, Harry," she said slowly, not looking him in the eye. He was not convinced. He tilted her chin up with two fingers so that his emerald orbs were looking straight into her chocolate brown ones. _

_"Hermione Granger. I have known you since the first year. All those years spent with Ron and me, hearing us make up excuses on why we didn't get our homework done, and you are still a lousy liar. What's wrong?" he asked again, more firmly this time. Hermione sighed, realizing that she was caught. _

_"Harry, I…I don't really know how to say this," she began hesitantly. _

_"Well, plain English would be best, considering that's all I understand," he joked, trying to ease some of her nerves. She laughed a little, but became somber again as quickly as though the laugh had never occurred. _

_"Harry, I really…I don't…I think we should…" she stammered, obviously trying to find the right words to say. Harry was a bit worried. He had never, in all of the six years of knowing Hermione, never seen her speechless before. He had to admit, it scared him a little. _

_"Yes?" he prodded gently. Hermione took a deep breath. _

_"I don't think we should see each other anymore," she said quietly, looking back down at her feet. Harry blinked. _

_"What?" he asked, dumbstruck. "But…but we've been together since the end of fifth year! Why on earth would you want to end it now?" _

_Hermione turned a slight shade of pink. "There's someone else," she said, this time so quietly that Harry wasn't sure if she had said it at all. _

_"What?"_

_"There's someone else," she said clearly, looking straight up to meet his eyes. Her heart broke when she saw the hurt in them, the hurt that she was causing. This was killing her, but it had to be done. _

_"Who?" Harry asked quietly, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. Hermione looked a bit surprised, as if she wasn't expecting him to ask that. _

_"I really don't think I should tell you that," she said, looking once again at her feet. _

_"Hermione," Harry said, but she wasn't finished yet. _

_"You really don't want to know," she continued. _

_"Hermione," Harry said firmly, causing her to look up again. "If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked. Now, tell me, who is it?"_

_Hermione took another deep breath and mumbled something. _

_"Hermione, I told you, I only understand English," Harry said. "Now, I'm only asking one more time. Who. Is. It?"_

_"Draco Malfoy." _

_Harry felt as though someone had dropped a piano on him. He was crushed. Hermione Granger, his best friend since they were eleven, the love of his life, was leaving him for their—his—worst enemy. He couldn't speak, he just stared at the Gryffindor girl that was ripping his heart to pieces. _

_"Harry?" she asked, reaching for his hand. He jerked it away and stood up. Hermione stood up as well, and faced him. "Harry, you've got to believe me, this is killing me."_

_"Then why are you doing it?" he asked, looking into her eyes, searching for some sign that this was all a trick, that it wasn't real. "Why?"_

_"Harry, I love you, I really do…" she began, but Harry cut her off. _

_"No, Hermione. Don't give me any of that crap. I don't want you telling me that you love me, when you're leaving me for that slimy Slytherin git. How long has this been going on?" _

_"Well…" she hesitated. Harry grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. _

_"How long?" he asked. She sighed. _

_"Three months," she admitted. Harry let go of her and stepped back. _

_"Three months," he echoed. "Three months. Three months, Hermione? I can't believe you! How could you do this to me? How? After all we've been through? I though you actually cared about me, but I guess I was wrong."_

_"No, Harry," she said softly. "You're not wrong. I care about you more than anything in the world. I just…I just…I don't know. I feel like I need to do this."_

_"You need to do this?" he yelled, his temper getting the best of him. "You _need _to do this? You need to use your brain. Come on! You're the smartest witch in the school. Use your brain. Think about what you're doing. Malfoy? You're leaving me…for Malfoy? Hermione, I know you are not that stupid. Follow your heart, Hermione."_

_"I am, Harry," she said. "And my heart is telling me that I can't keep doing this to you. Doing this behind your back, I mean. I love you, Harry, I really do, but… when I'm with Draco, I feel something that I don't feel when I'm with you. He gives me more…meaning, I guess is the word. I love you, but I can't keep lying to you. I'm dating Draco, and I'm sorry." She swiftly kissed his cheek and without a word, turned and headed for the door. Once there, however, she stopped and looked back. "Good-bye, Harry." She turned and walked out. _

Harry sighed. He had thought that Hermione was the one for him. But she had broken his heart. No, that was wrong. She hadn't broken his heart. She had torn it out, thrown it on the ground, and stomped on it. She had no idea how much she had hurt him. Harry sighed again. Hermione was one person he could cross out of his address book.

There was still no sign of Hedwig. It was nearly midnight, and she had been off hunting for the past hour. Harry wished that she would come back. He was beginning to feel pretty lonely, seeing as how she was the only friend he had left. Despite his mental protests, another memory came crashing back.

_Harry was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his bacon slowly, savoring the taste, seeing as how he wasn't getting seconds. Dudley was already on his fourth plate of pancakes, and he was still going. Harry didn't think it was possible, but it seemed that his cousin had gained ten more pounds during Harry's term at Hogwarts. He was now on his way to achieving the same weight as a small elephant. Harry watched in amazement and disgust as Dudley shoveled still more food into his large mouth. Harry was strongly reminded of Ron eating, and he snorted. Uncle Vernon shot him a look and he shut up immediately._

_Just then, an owl tapped on the kitchen window. Aunt Petunia shrieked and opened the window, letting the bird inside before the neighbors saw. The large tawny owl landed in front of Harry, clutching a copy of the _Daily Prophet _in its beak. Harry quickly paid the bird and it took flight again. Ignoring the looks he was receiving from his family, he unrolled the paper to read it, and promptly choked on his orange juice. _

_There on the front page was a picture of The Burrow. Ron's house. Harry's heart sank. This couldn't be good. He quickly turned his gaze to the text and began to read. _

Attack on Local Wizarding House Baffles Ministry

_Late last night, an attack was plagued on a local Wizarding home, where the Weasley family lives. The reason for the attack is unknown. Arthur Weasley is a highly respected member of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office in the Ministry of Magic, and the Minister himself has no reason to believe that Weasley did anything to provoke the attack._

_Arthur lives in "The Burrow", as he has christened it, with his family. His wife, Molly, his sons William, Chares, Percy, Fred, George, and Ronald, and his daughter Virginia all reside in the house with him. But last night, their happy family of nine was sadly and tragically reduced to eight. Seventeen-year-old Ronald Weasley was killed in the attack, much to the bewilderment of his family and ministry members, as none of the rest of his family was harmed in any way. Molly found her youngest son on the living room floor early this morning. Services for the boy will be held this weekend for family and close friends._

_Harry's heart seemed to have stopped. Ron, his best friend since he was eleven, was dead. And he was only seventeen. He was only two months older than Harry. It was too young. And none of the other Weasley's were harmed. It was remarkable. Well, to any outside person. Harry had a good idea of the real reason that Ron was killed. It was because he was a friend of Harry's. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the one destined to kill Voldemort. Ron was in acquaintance with Harry, so it was more than likely that he had been placed on Voldemort's hit list. But it was a bit surprising that none of the other Weasley's were killed. They were all in acquaintance with him. Maybe Ron was considered more of a threat._

_Harry excused himself from the table and ran up to his room, where he stayed for the rest of the week. _

Harry laughed bitterly. He really wished these horrible memories would quit coming back to him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a happy memory. Ron was yet another person he could cross off his list. Ron. Thinking about his now deceased best friend made a lump appear in Harry's throat. He hadn't cried since the funeral, when Ginny…. Before he could stop it, yet another memory burst into his head.

_Harry walked slowly up the steps to the large church that Ron's funeral was being held in. He had at first been reluctant to attend the funeral, as it meant saying good-bye to his best mate. But he realized that Ron would be at his funeral, no matter how hard or painful it was. So he put on his best robes, grabbed his Firebolt, and flew to the church. _

_He opened the door and looked around. He immediately spotted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sitting on the front bench. Mrs. Weasley appeared to be sobbing, and Mr. Weasley was attempting to calm her down. Fred and George were sitting on chairs in the back, their normally cheerful faces pale and somber. Bill and Charlie were standing up in the front, and Harry wasn't surprised to see Percy standing with them. Even though Percy had had disagreements with the rest of his family, it was obvious that Ron had been his favorite brother. Ginny was nowhere in sight. _

_Harry's eyes scanned the church. Hermione was sitting towards the middle, and Draco Malfoy's arm was around her, comforting her. Harry's heart gave a jealous twinge and he quickly looked away. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were sitting across the aisle from Hermione, and Neville Longbottom was sitting behind them. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were sitting in the same row as Neville, but three or four chairs down. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were sitting in front of the Weasley twins. Mundungus Fletcher was sitting next to Tonks, and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was next to Mundungus. Luna Lovegood was standing against the wall, staring into space with tears running down her face, and Cho Chang had her arm around her, comforting her. Harry was sure that Sirius Black would have been there…if Harry hadn't gotten him killed. There were also an assorted number of other Hogwarts students that had apparently had known Ron. Harry made a mental note that Malfoy was the only Slytherin present, and he had a feeling that the blonde was only there because Hermione was there. _

_Albus Dumbledore stepped up to the podium next to the coffin in the front of the church. In chairs behind him sat Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Trelawney, Sprout, Hagrid, and, much to Harry's surprise, Snape. Dumbledore cleared his throat. _

_"Would everyone please take your seats? The ceremony will begin in five minutes," he said somberly, before turning around and sitting down in an empty chair behind him. Harry felt a surge of anger at Dumbledore's words. Ceremony? This was not some sporting event, or awards banquet, or something like that. This was Ron Weasley's _funeral_, for Merlin's sake. Harry was about to approach Dumbledore when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned around and found himself face-to-face with Ginny Weasley. _

_Harry smiled shakily. "Hey, Gin," he said quietly. The redheaded girl did not return his smile. Harry noticed that her eyes were red, as if she had been crying (which, he reminded himself, she probably had been), but they were also hard and cold, not a trace of the usual warmth they usually held when she looked at him. _

_"Harry," she replied coldly. Harry's small smile faltered as he looked at the person he had come to know as his little sister. _

_"How…how are you holding up?" he asked. He knew that she probably hated that question by now, but he didn't know what else to say. Sure enough, her face took on a shade of red. _

_"How am I holding up?" she asked in disbelief. "How could you even think of asking me that? I can't believe you even dared to show your face here."_

_"What?" Harry asked, bewildered. Ginny snorted. _

_"Oh, don't pretend you don't know," she snarled, so ferociously that Harry took a step back in alarm. "Don't come in here, pretending like you're upset, like you actually care that he's dead."_

_"But, Gin, I do care," Harry said, now completely confused. Why was Ginny acting like this?_

_"No you don't," she said, staring at him as if she wanted nothing more than to rip his head off. "You don't care that he's dead. You're the one that got him killed in the first place."_

_"Ginny, what are you talking about?" Harry asked her. _

_"Like you don't know. He's only dead because he was friends with you. I'm only glad that none of the rest of us were killed. I can't believe we ever trusted you," Ginny said, advancing toward Harry, who was slowly backing up. His back hit the wall and he knew he was trapped. Ginny put her face very close to his. _

_"I want you out of our lives," she whispered. "For good." With that, she whirled around and stalked up to the front of the church, where the rest of her family was sitting. Harry stood, stunned, for a few moments, before seating himself in the available chair next to Remus. Tears began to slowly make their way down his face. _

_Ginny Weasley, his best friend's little sister, _his own _little sister, walked away from him, and hadn't spoken to him since. _

Harry ticked off the names on his fingers. Ginny was not an option. She blamed him for her brother's death. To tell the truth, Harry was actually starting to believe it himself. It was obvious. Associate with Harry Potter…and die. It had happened to Cedric, it had happened to Sirius, and now it had happened to Ron. And Harry was desperately afraid that it would happen to someone else, so he had temporarily cut himself off from the Wizarding world.

But something didn't feel right. It was almost as if all of the things that had occurred had been a dream, and he would wake up the next day in his four-poster bed in the Gryffindor dorm, with Ron hitting him with a pillow and telling him to get up, and then they would walk down to the common room to find Hermione asleep on a book because she had studied so hard that she forgot to go to bed. It was as if none of it was real. None of it had happened. Oh, how he wished that were so. But, as much as it felt that way, he knew that it was all true. But still, one had to wonder…

Hedwig still had not come back, and Harry was getting tired. It was one o'clock in the morning, and no one had written him, so he figured that he would go to bed. As he moved across the room, he caught a glimpse of the calendar. July 31. His birthday. He was seventeen. The age Ron had been when he died. And for once, he had not gotten a single thing from his "friends". He threw his glasses down on his night table and climbed into bed. And, surprise, surprise, his dreams were filled with bad memories of his old life.

His life that no longer existed.

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**A/N: Okay, how was it? Was it completely horrible? Please review and tell me what you think. I'm not going to post the next chapter until I get at least three reviews. So, please, people, if you want the next chapter, then review!!! **

**Lots of Love!!! **


	2. Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: Okay, remember how I told you guys that I wasn't getting any reviews? Well, a brilliant reviewer of mine came up with a genius idea as to why I wasn't getting any. It was because I had it set so that I could only receive reviews from people with accounts, and even those people couldn't review unless they were logged in. So I fixed that, and now I'm hoping to get more reviews. I feel like such an idiot. I'm telling you, if I weren't a brunette, I would make the perfect blonde (no offense to any of you blondes out there, my BFF is blonde, and she and I are the biggest ditzes in the world!! It's so much fun!! I do have blonde highlights, so I think that some of that blonde may have leaked through to my brain!!) Okay, so, here is the second chapter to this story, sorry it's taken so long to update. I'll update the other stories really, really soon, I promise. **

**Oh, and thanks so much to m-girls for the brilliant solution that I never would have come up with on my own!!**

**Also, in the last chapter I said that anything in italics was a flashback. Well, I lied. From now on, anything in italics is either a flashback or a dream. I'll leave you to decide which is which. **

**On with the story!!

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Chapter 2: Dreams

_"Harry?" a voice asked. Harry's heart began to pound. He knew that voice. He looked up into the light blue eyes of Ron Weasley. A disbelieving smile spread across his face. _

_"Ron!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around his best friend. "It's so good to see you again! I can't believe you're actually here!"_

_Ron looked down at his raven-haired best friend. "Harry, what are you talking about, mate? I've been kicking your pathetic butt at chess for the past half hour." _

_Harry started. "What?" he asked, confused. Ron gave him a very strange look. _

_"Yeah, we came up here after lunch, and you asked if I wanted to play. Hermione went to the library saying that she couldn't stand watching us melt our brains. Don't you remember?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head. As he did so, he caught sight of Ginny sitting in the chair next to the chessboard. He wondered what she was doing there, as she wasn't speaking to him at the moment. Though, he realized, she wasn't speaking to him because Ron was dead, but Ron was clearly not dead. Harry also noticed that he was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, without any knowledge of how he had gotten there. He looked back at Ron, who was watching him curiously. _

_"Well, I'm not really surprised," Ron said matter-of-factly. "I mean, you kinda zoned out on us there for a minute."_

_"I did?" Harry asked, completely bewildered. "Really?"_

_"Really. I though you were having some kind of fit or something," Ron said, worry etched in his features. "You kinda trailed off in the middle of a sentence, and when I looked up at you, your eyes were all rolled back in your head, and you were staring somewhere over my head and kind of muttering to yourself. I really had no idea what you were doing. Ginny and I have been trying to get through for about five minutes, and we were only just able to a minute ago. What was going on?"_

_Harry shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "It was kind of weird. It was almost like a dream, I guess, but it felt so real. I really don't know what it was." Ron gave him another weird look and sighed. _

_"Whatever," he said, not wanting to continue the conversation. "Let's just get back to the game."_

_"Okay, where were we?" Harry asked. Ginny answered before Ron was able to. _

_"You were just about to make the move that would allow Ron to crush you flat," she said, her eyes sparkling and a small smile playing around her lips. Harry glared at her._

_"Oh, stuff it, Ginny, I'm trying to concentrate," he said in mock anger. She placed her hand over her heart and slumped over the arm of his chair into his lap. _

_"Oh, Mr. Potter, your words are so cruel and spiteful," she said in a dramatic whisper. Harry fought hard to keep a straight face as he mock-glared down at the red head spread across his knees. _

_"There'll be more than cruel words if you don't get off me," he warned. She grinned and burrowed further down between his legs, so that she was almost on the floor. _

_"Ah, foolish Harry, I'd like to see you try and make me," she said playfully. She stood up off the floor and once again draped herself across his lap. "I'm not moving," she said in a singsong voice. Harry burst out laughing. _

_"Okay, seriously, Gin, get off," he gasped through his laughter. "I need to finish this game."_

_"That's okay, it won't take long," she said confidently, climbing off his lap and settling back down in her chair. Harry looked at her. _

_"How can you be so sure of that?" he asked. She grinned. _

_"Because Ron always kicks your butt in about three minutes," she said, her voice full of malice. Harry scowled. _

_"Yeah, well, he's not gonna win this time!" he declared. "Knight to H3!" _**(A/N: I really have no idea how the board is labeled, I only know a little bit about chess. I'm only quoting the first movie when Ron sacrifices himself in order to move Harry further. Remember that? I do, so I'm using that line.)** _The small white horse moved over one square and up two, where it was promptly taken out by Ron's queen. Ron grinned triumphantly. _

_"Checkmate," he said, looking slyly at Harry, who was frantically searching the board for some way to save his king. When he found none, he sighed. _

_"Ronald Weasley, I admit defeat. You are truly…a chess genius," he said dramatically, holding out his hand to his red haired best friend. Ron laughed and shook Harry's hand. _

_"Thank you, grasshopper," he said, taking on a very bad Asian accent. "Perhaps one day soon you too shall become a master of the game. The day when the student surpasses the teacher." Ron grinned, dropping the accent. "Yeah, like that'll happen in the next millennium." Harry punched him lightly on the arm and they both sniggered. Ginny sighed loudly. _

_"Are you finished now?" she asked impatiently. Harry grinned at her. _

_"Yeah, we're done," he said, nodding. She grinned. _

_"Good," she replied, and promptly took up her former position on Harry's lap. Harry sighed. _

_"I'm never getting rid of you, am I?" he asked her. She shook her head and grinned. _

_"Nope, never. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life," she teased. Harry laughed. _

_"So there's no point in trying to make you stop speaking to me?" he asked her. She laughed. _

_"Nope," she declared grandly, making Harry burst out laughing again. Ron watched the interaction with an amused look on his face. _

_"You know, you two are perfect for each other," he said. Ginny gave him a strange look. _

_"I know, Ronald, that's why we're dating," she said slowly, as if speaking to a three year old. Harry started. _

_"What?" he asked her. "What about me and Hermione?" Ginny looked at him as if he had sprouted an extra head. _

_"Harry, you broke up with Hermione last week, and then you asked me out," she said. Harry though for a moment. _

_"Oh," was all he said. Ginny was still giving him a strange look. Fortunately, Ron came up with the perfect excuse. _

_"Ginny, don't worry about it. I think that that trance thing that he went into wiped out some of his memory," Ron said, glancing at Harry. Harry nodded. "He remembers as soon as we say something about it, but he doesn't remember it off the top of his head." Ginny sighed in relief. _

_"Good," she said, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck. "I though you might want to break up with me." Harry smiled and slinked his arm around his girlfriend's waist. _

_"Ginny, I wouldn't break up with you," he assured her. "You're too perfect." Ginny smiled and snuggled down into his arms. Harry smiled. This was how things should be, he thought. All of his friends surrounding him, everyone laughing, no one crying. This was the perfect life. _

_Suddenly, things began to go blurry. Harry put one hand to his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision, but no luck. Everything was being pulled away from him. He caught a glimpse of Ginny's frightened doe-brown eyes. _

_"Harry?" she asked him. Her voice seemed distant and echo-y. "Harry, are you alright?" Harry opened his mouth to answer, but found that he had lost control of his vocal chords. The only thing he could do was sit there and watch the world melt away before his eyes. _

Harry woke with a start, sitting in his own bed, his arms wrapped around nothing but thin air where Ginny had been moments before. It had all been so real. He had actually felt the girl sitting in his arms. Then it hit him. It had all been a dream. Just a dream. Nothing more. Bitter tears began to roll down his cheeks as he realized that it would never be like that again. Ever. None of it was real.

It was all just a dream.

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**A/N: Oh, poor Harry. He's just not having a very good time, is he? Okay, I know things may have gotten a little confusing there, but just hang in there with me. All will be explained in time. Yes, he will be getting to Hogwarts soon, most likely in the next chapter. Yes, I know this whole chapter was only Harry's dream, but it does have a purpose, and that will be explained later on in the story. So just hang in there and keep reading, and I'll try to update as quickly as possible so you won't be confused. And you all know that I love reviews so…**

**REVIEW!!!**


	3. Luna

**Disclaimer: I really don't own anything. **

**A/N: Okay, peeps, here's the new chapter. I only got a few reviews for the last one, but I wanted to continue anyways. I was bored, okay??? Well, I stayed up until like 3 o'clock writing this chapter, so you'd better like it, or I'm coming after you. No, not really, 'cuz I don't know where any of you live. But please, read and enjoy. **

**Oh, and thanks to Danu3, who was the only reviewer for this story, but reviewed twice. I'm really sorry to hear about your friend, and I hope those dreams stop soon. And to answer your question, yes, eventually Ginny will stop mean, but not for a long while. Harry's got to suffer a bit more first. I know, I'm so mean, but all will be revealed eventually.

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Chapter 3: Luna

"Boy! Boy get up, we've got to take you to that freak school today! We're leaving in fifteen minutes. If you're not ready, we're leaving without you and you're not going!"

Harry groaned and rolled over, reaching for his glasses and placing them on his nose. He looked at the clock on his bedside table. Eight o'clock. The train left in an hour. He sighed. Usually, he would be very excited about this day. He was going back to Hogwarts for his seventh year, getting away from the Dursleys. But today, he wanted nothing more than to bury himself under the covers and stay there until the end of the year.

Usually, he would leap out of bed, those last fifteen minutes going painstakingly slow. When he finally got to the station, he would pass through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾, where he would meet Ron and the rest of the Weasley clan, and most likely Hermione. The three of them—four including Ginny—would then proceed to the empty compartment at the end of the train, where they would play Exploding Snap and discuss what they wanted to do when they left school, all the while listening to Ginny complain about having to spend one more year all alone at school.

But that was under normal circumstances.

Another sharp rap at the door by his aunt brought him out of his reverie. He called out "Coming!" and rolled out of bed. He stumbled sleepily over to his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain black T-shirt. He pulled them on, ran a hand through his unruly black hair, and began to search for a pair of socks. They normally hid under the bed, he decided, and proceeded to bend down and shove his frame into the small space under the bed. He found a pair of socks and attempted to pull himself back out. As he sat up, he cracked the top of his head on the bottom of the bed frame. He cursed under his breath and massaged his scalp. This was not turning out to be a good day.

Harry walked around his room, checking every nook and cranny for any left behind school supplies. When he found none, he closed and locked his trunk and dragged it down the stairs into the front hall. He left it there and walked into the kitchen.

His rather obese cousin took up one whole side of the table, shoving pancakes and bacon into his mouth like there was no tomorrow. With a pang, Harry was strongly reminded of the day he found out about Ron's death. Harry swallowed the lump that was rising in his throat and took a seat at the table. Aunt Petunia placed a plate with one pancake in front of him and scowled down at him, as though daring him to ask for more food. Harry did nothing of the sort. Instead, he silently began to eat. Petunia shared a confused look with Vernon, who was glaring menacingly at Harry over the top of his newspaper. Harry quickly finished his breakfast and moved to clear the table. They heard the click of the mail slot and Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and made his way to the hall. Harry was just scraping the bacon rinds into the garbage disposal when they heard a thump from the hall, soon followed by a loud crash and then a shout of "BOY!" Harry gulped. It sounded as if his uncle had tripped and fallen over Harry's school trunk. Harry slowly slid into the hall, careful to keep his back against the wall.

Sure enough, Vernon was lying flat on his face in the middle of the hall and Harry's trunk was tipped over on one side. Vernon stood up and made his way over to his nephew, his face purple with rage.

"You ungrateful brat!" he snarled, putting his face close to Harry's. "Petunia and I take you in and feed you, and you repay us by trying to kill me? I won't have it!" He raised his fist and Harry closed his eyes, bracing himself for the blow.

It never came. Harry opened one eye to find his uncle staring at the front door, which was now open. Harry edged around his large uncle to see who was at the door and came face to face with Remus Lupin. Harry's face broke into the first grin he had done in weeks. Remus smiled at him.

"Hello, Harry," he said pleasantly. "How are you?"

"I'm…I'm good," Harry said slowly. "Erm…not to be rude or anything, but…what are you doing here?" he asked. Remus smiled.

"I kind of had a strange feeling that you would need a ride to the station today," he explained. "For some reason, I felt that your relatives would not be so cooperative today. I can see that I was right," he said, sternly looking Vernon up and down. "I'm glad I got here when I did, or otherwise, I'm sure that Harry would have a very nasty black eye. You, sir, have no respect for your nephew, and I personally will make sure that changes." Vernon's face turned, if possible, even more purple.

"I will not have you freaks in my house any longer," he hissed. In one swift movement that surprised everyone, Vernon snatched up Harry and bodily threw him out of the door, where he collided with Remus and they tumbled down the porch steps. Harry quickly rolled out of the way as his trunk followed. With one last sneer in Harry's direction, Vernon slammed the door shut. Remus stood up and brushed off his robes.

"Well, what a charming man your uncle is," he said sarcastically, holding out a hand and helping Harry to his feet. Harry snorted. "Is he always like that?" Remus asked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much," he said. "Although, he's never actually thrown me out of the house before. For some really strange reason, I have the feeling that he's not going to want me to come back." Remus shook his head.

"Well, we'll deal with that when the time comes," he said. "Right now, we've got to get you to the station. The train leaves in half an hour. Let's go." He picked up Harry's trunk and carried it down the drive. Harry ran to catch up.

"Um, Remus?" he asked the older wizard. "How are we going to get there?" Remus grinned mischievously.

"Who do you think your godfather left his motorbike to?" he asked wickedly. Harry stared.

"You've got Sirius's bike?" Harry asked disbelievingly. Remus nodded and laughed.

"For the moment, yes," he said. "But he really wanted you to have it." Harry started.

"Me? Sirius left his bike to me?" he asked. "But he loved that thing! Why would he leave it to me?"

Remus shrugged. "His mind worked in strange ways, Harry. I think he knew that you would love to have the bike, and would take the best care of it." Harry nodded slowly. "Well, come on, let's get going. We don't want you to miss the train." He led Harry to the end of the block, where the large black motorcycle was waiting for them.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them landed with a thud in front of King's Cross station. Remus had flown the motorcycle in order to both show Harry how it worked, and to make good time. Harry climbed off the back and undid his trunk. Remus reached over and pushed a button labeled "Home", and the bike roared to life and flew away. Remus laughed at the amazed look on Harry's face. Harry just glared at the older man. Remus went inside and reappeared moments later with a cart to put his trunk on. Harry wheeled the cart over to the wall between 9 and 10 and waited for a large group of muggle tourists to walk by. He pushed his way through the wall with Remus close behind him, and they made their way over to the train.

Remus helped Harry carry the trunk up onto the train and find a compartment. Once Harry was settled in, they exited the train. Remus turned to face Harry and placed both his hands on the boy's shoulders. Remus smiled.

"Well, young Harry," he said in a false voice of authority. Harry had to fight to keep from grinning. "On your way to your seventh and final year at Hogwarts. How proud I am of you. Now, you behave yourself, young man. I will be keeping a close eye on you. Closer than you may think," he finished, giving Harry a mysterious wink. Harry looked confused and was about to question the older wizard when the whistle sounded. Remus gave Harry a small push. "Now, off you go. Don't miss the train." Harry boarded the train and waved as Remus Disapparated.

Harry's good mood disappeared at once, as though Remus had taken it with him. He slowly headed off to his compartment, dreading the empty loneliness that he knew was awaiting him. He received a surprise, however, when he slid open the door and came upon Luna Lovegood. He stepped back in shock, but Luna did not seem to have noticed him. She was staring out the window, and all that Harry could see of her was the back of her blonde head. He knew it was her, however, as he didn't know any other girls with hair that color.

"Erm…hey, Luna," he said hesitantly. She slowly turned her face toward him, and he saw that she had been crying. Her misty blue-grey eyes were slightly red and puffy, and her cheeks were wet. Harry felt an instant flow of sympathy and pity towards the distraught girl. Luna sniffed.

"Oh, Harry," she said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll leave…" she trailed off and stood up. She tried to go around Harry, but he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, confused.

"No, that's okay," he said, smiling softly. "You can stay. I don't mind, really. In fact, I could actually use the company."

Luna smiled and sat down. She stared at the black-haired boy for a minute, and Harry had to fight with all his might to keep from fidgeting under her gaze. He stared back, and when she didn't make any sign of looking away, he cleared his throat. Luna started.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry," she said. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Harry asked. Luna looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said quietly. Harry wasn't fooled.

"Luna, I hate it when people lie to me," he told her. "I know that we don't know each other that well, but you can talk to me about anything." Luna nodded.

"Well, I was just thinking…" she trailed off for a moment, and Harry waited patiently for her to continue. "I was just thinking…what if…what would it have been like if…if…if Ron hadn't…" she trailed off again, her eyes filling with fresh tears. Harry sighed, feeling that lump rising in his throat for the second time that day.

"Did you have feelings for him, Luna?" he asked the blonde girl. She suddenly became very interested in her feet. She nodded slowly, then shook her head, and then shrugged.

"I really don't know, Harry," she said honestly. "I mean, when I first met him, back in fourth year—your fifth year—I though he was the most gorgeous guy I'd ever met. But he seemed like he was afraid of me, he was always acting nervous when I was around, and he was constantly asking me if I was feeling normal. I could tell that he just though of me as Loony Lovegood like the rest of the whole school population, but I couldn't help it. I…I think…I think I loved him, Harry," she finished quietly. Harry didn't say anything, and for a moment Luna thought that he had left. She looked up and found herself looking into his brilliant green eyes. He smiled softly.

"He was a good person," Harry said quietly. "It was hard for me too. Hell, it's still hard. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at his bed in Gryffindor tower the same again. And when Ron died, I was left with no one. Hermione left me for…someone," he spat, despising the name of the man that had snatched his girlfriend away, "and Ginny blames me for Ron's death, and Sirius died as well. They're all gone. I've got no one left." Harry felt tears well in his eyes as he wondered why he was telling all the troubles in his life to this odd girl that was almost a stranger to him. Luna smiled gently and placed her hand on Harry's arm. He looked up at her.

"You've always got me, Harry," she said softly. That did it. For the first time since his best friend's funeral, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the boy who defeated Voldemort as a one-year-old child, broke down and sobbed onto the shoulder of Luna Lovegood, his newest and last true friend.

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**A/N: Oh, so sad!! I almost made myself cry writing this. Okay, I know, at the beginning it was kind of weird. But I wanted to fit Remus in there somewhere, and I wanted him to be the new kind of father-figure in Harry's life. And I'm kind of going through an "I-love-Luna" phase. She's going to appear in every chapter of this story from now on, or 98 percentof them, anyways.**

**I'm also writing a new story (I know, I know, but the ideas just keep coming!!). I'm almost done with the first chapter, and all I'm going to tell you is that it's going to be a DM/LL story. It's going to be really good, though. I really don't think I've ever read a story with Draco and Luna hooking up, so I'm writing one myself. I'm not sure when it's going to be up, but I know that it will be soon. **

**And I know that I haven't been updating my other stories lately, but I'm not getting any reviews, and I'm also having some majorly bad writer's block going on. Those stories are surprisingly hard to write. This one is much easier, and it is by far the best one I've got. But no worries! Christmas break is coming up soon, like, in the next week, and I'm going to be doing some major updating over those two weeks that I'm out of school, so all of my stories are going to be updated within the next week, I promise. And if they're not, I give you all full permission to egg my house (although my parents might not be too happy about that!!! LOL!!!)**

**And just so you all know, I have really long author's notes, but I'm making sure to put them all at the end of the chapters, so that you don't have to scroll down so far in order to read the story. Geeze that annoys me!! **

**Okay, well, that was the third chapter. Was it totally horrid? Am I being too hard on poor Harry? Please review and give me your honest opinion. Did you forget how?? Well, then I'll remind you. Just click on that little purple/blue button at the bottom of the screen. Easy enough, right?? **


	4. Changes

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Okay, people, now it's time for chapter 4. I am SOOOOOOOOO sorry that I haven't updated in forever, but I've been grounded. But it was only for five days…but that is like forever. But now I'm back, and better than ever. Okay, not really. But anyways, here is chapter 4.**

**Oh, and I want to thank Danu3, who, once again, was the only reviewer for the last chapter. But thanks for trying to get me more reviewers. Luv ya!!!

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Chapter 4: Changes

Harry walked slowly down the corridor leading to Gryffindor tower. The hall was filled with people, but Harry had plenty of room to move. Every person was skirting around him as if he had some contagious disease that they would catch the moment they touched him. He sighed. He knew why they were all avoiding him. He just didn't care.

He came to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who looked down at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Why so glum?" she asked kindly.

"No reason," Harry said dully. The Fat Lady raised her eyebrows skeptically.

"There's always a reason for everything," she informed him. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Chocolate Frogs," he said. The painting sighed.

"If you insist, dear," she said, swinging forward to let him in. He climbed through the hole and, without stopping to talk to anyone, continued on up the stairs to the boy's dorm.

The dorm was not, as he had hoped, empty. Neville Longbottom lay sprawled across his bed, talking to an extremely large and rather unattractive plant that Harry recognized as the plant Neville had in fifth year. The one that had sprayed Stinksap all over the compartment and then Cho had walked in. Neville looked up and smiled as Harry entered.

"Hi, Harry," he said. Harry smiled a little and waved at the clumsy boy. "How was your summer?" Neville asked. Harry's smiled disappeared, and Neville winced. "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…I should have realized…I'm sorry," he finished.

"Don't worry about it, Nev, it's no big deal," Harry said in a dull voice, turning towards his bed and pretending that he was busy in his trunk. There was silence in the dorm for a few moments.

"So, Harry," Neville said, making an attempt at conversation. Harry rolled his eyes, but was unseen by Neville as he was buried in his trunk down to his waist. "There's the first Hogsmeade visit in about a week. Maybe we could hang out together?" Harry sighed.

"Yeah, sure, Nev," he said. He pulled a pair of pajamas out of his trunk and began to put them on. He felt rather than saw Neville studying him, and he looked up. "What?"

"Are you okay, Harry?" Neville asked quietly. "I mean, I know how hard this must be for you, but if you ever need to talk, I'll be here. Okay?"

"Okay, Neville, but seriously, I'm fine," Harry assured him. Neville raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever, Harry," he said, shrugging and turning back to his plant. Just then the door opened and Dean and Seamus walked in. They stopped when they saw Harry. Seamus looked as if he wanted to turn around and run right back out the door, but a slow smile made its way across Dean's face.

"Hey, Harry," he said. Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him. Not everyone hated him. "How's it going? Okay, that was a dumb question. Um…how was your summer? No, that was even stupider. Erm…hi, Harry!" he exclaimed. Harry allowed himself a small laugh.

"Hi Dean," he said. "Hi, Seamus." Seamus slowly looked up at him. He glanced over at Neville, and then at Dean, and then back at Harry. Harry could tell that there was a major internal battle going on. Finally, however, Seamus smiled and stuck out his hand.

"Hey, Harry, how are you doing?" he asked sincerely. Harry smiled and shook his hand.

"Not bad, considering the circumstances," he said, shrugging. Dean smiled sympathetically.

"Don't worry, mate, I'm sure you can still talk to Hermione or Ginny about it," he said, apparently hoping to cheer Harry up. On the contrary, Harry's face darkened and he looked away. "What?" Dean demanded. "Was it something I said?"

"I can't talk to Hermione and Ginny," Harry said quietly. "They've both abandoned me."

"What do you mean?" Seamus asked curiously. Neville hadn't looked up from his plant, but Harry could tell that he wasn't missing a word of the conversation.

"Well, remember Hermione and I were going out last year?" Harry asked. The other boys nodded. "Well, at the end of last year, she left me for Malfoy." The other boys gasped in unison.

"What?" Dean said in amazement. "Why?" Harry shrugged.

"Don't know," he said. "But she did. And I talked to Ginny at Ron's funeral over the summer, and she blames me for his death."

"What?" Dean repeated. "Why in the name of Merlin would she do that?" he demanded. Harry shrugged again.

"Don't know," he said again. "But she does. So, now I'm pretty much all alone. Except for Luna," he added as an afterthought.

"Wait," Dean said from his spot over at the water jug, where he was filling up a glass. "Do you mean Luna Lovegood?" he asked. Harry nodded. Dean just stared at him.

"Well, she's always been there for me, even if I haven't been the nicest friend," Harry said slowly.

"Friend?" Seamus demanded. Harry nodded again.

"Yes. We're friends," he said. Seamus did a double take and Dean dropped the cup he was holding, spilling water across the floor. Neville, however, having been with Harry and Luna and the others in the Department of Mysteries in fifth year, didn't look too surprised. Harry decided that the conversation was over, and he climbed into bed. Just as he began to draw his curtains around his bed, Dean spoke.

"Hey, Harry?" he asked. Harry looked up. "Just know that…you're not alone. We're here for you, mate." Harry smiled.

"Thanks, guys," he said honestly. "That really means a lot to me. 'Night, all," he said, pulling the curtains around himself.

That night, for the first time since Ron's death, Harry wasn't plagued with nightmares and terrors. He dreamt of all the good times that he had spent with his old friends, and the times that he was sure to come with his new friends.

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**A/N: Okay, I know, it's not a very long chapter. But I really felt that I was being too hard on Harry, and I wanted to give him support from his fellow Gryffindors. Harry will be hanging out with Luna some more later on, and they start to figure out what's going on with his screwed up life. But I'm not going to tell what's going on until later chapters, like possibly eight or nine, maybe later. You will start to see things that connect with the dreams that he's having, but if you can't figure it out, you're going to have to wait until the end to figure out completely what's going on.**

**Thanks for reading this far. I love reviews, so give 'em to me!!! **


	5. Explanations?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: Author's note at the bottom this time.

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Chapter 5: Explanations?

_"Harry? Harry, wake up."_

_Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked up into the face of Ron Weasley. He realized that he was lying on the floor of the Gryffindor common room. Both Ron and Ginny were bending over him, looking worried. Hermione, who had apparently returned while he was asleep, stood above them. Harry could tell that she wanted to mother him, but she was restraining herself and letting the two Weasleys take care of it. He slowly sat up. _

_"What happened?" he asked. Ginny rocked back on her heels and studied him. _

_"You passed out again," she said. _

_"Did I?" he asked, confused. He didn't remember falling on the floor. _

_"Really, mate, I think you ought to go and see Madame Pomfrey about this. This could be serious," Ron said. Harry shook his head. _

_"No, I don't need to see the nurse," he said stubbornly. Hermione made a small tutting noise. _

_"Honestly, Harry, this is probably the fifth time this has happened to you," she scolded. "Ron's right, it could be serious. I think you need some help."_

_"I'm fine," Harry insisted. "I think I just need to get something to eat. I'm going down to the kitchens for a little while." He stood up and walked over to the portrait hole. As he went out into the corridor, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and found Ginny following him. _

_"I'm coming with you," she said before he could protest. "I want to be there in case you collapse again. And," she looked around the corridor slyly, "we can have some alone time." Harry grinned and took her hand, leading her away toward the kitchens. _

_They walked in silence for a few moments. Harry noticed Ginny looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked over at her. _

_"What are you looking at?" he asked her. She didn't answer for a minute, she just continued staring at him. "What?" he demanded, irritated. _

_"What happens when you pass out?" she asked suddenly. Harry stared at her for a moment, thinking. _

_"Well," he began. "I think I dream about something. But I'm not so sure it's a dream. It's as if this is all real, and that's just a dream. But I know that I'm dreaming right now." _

_"What?" Ginny asked. "No you're not."_

_"Not what?"_

_"Not dreaming. This is all real," Ginny said. Harry just looked at her. _

_"But," he started, then stopped. He didn't know how to explain it. "Well, it's like this. When I… 'pass out', it's like I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming about my life, but it's all screwed up. Hermione and I were dating, you know, but in my dream, she broke up with me. So she and I aren't speaking. And you aren't speaking to me because you blame me for…Ron's death. I really don't know what to think about it all, because it feels so real. But while it's all happening, I feel like I'm just going to wake up and everything's going to be okay." When he finished, he noticed Ginny staring at him strangely. "What?" _

_"Harry, this could be serious," she said quietly. "It sounds to me like someone's messing with your mind. With your thoughts, even. How do you feel right now?"_

_Harry though for a minute. "Well, in my other world, all this stuff is happening while I'm sleeping, so I think that I'm dreaming this. I don't even know if this is all real right now. I can't ever tell if this is real, or if I'm dreaming. You know what I'm saying?"_

_"No," she said, shaking her head slowly. "Harry, I really think that you should go to Madame Pomfrey. This really is serious. If someone's messing with your mind, it could be Voldemort doing it. And he could make you think that everyone's turned against you, and make you try to kill yourself or something. You should really get help." _

_"Maybe you're right, Gin," Harry said, shaking his head. "I think I'll just…I think I'll…I think…" he trailed off as the room began to spin. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head. He was vaguely aware of Ginny bending down next to him, asking him what was wrong. He tried desperately to answer her, but he had once again lost control of his vocal cords. In his desperation, he managed to choke out one word: "Help." Then he collapsed.

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**A/N: Okay, once again, not a very long chapter, I apologize. But it does explain somewhat about what's going on with the weird dreams. If you didn't catch on, try reading it again. If you still don't catch on, then just tune in to the next chapter. **

**I hope you all had a great Christmas. I know I did!!! REVIEW!!!!**


	6. Can You Help Me?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Don't sue!!!**

**A/N: Once again, at the bottom!!!!

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Chapter 6: Can You Help Me?

Harry sat up in bed with a start, sweat running down his face. Of course it had been a dream. He had been with his friends, so it had to be a dream. Any time lately that he had been with his best friends was in a dream. It was so cliché, of course it had to be like that.

Harry glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read 3:30 a.m. Knowing that attempting to get back to sleep would be pointless, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his jeans and a T-shirt, and headed down into the common room. He sat in a chair next to the fire, which was now nothing more than a pile of glowing red embers. He stared into the hearth for a moment, remembering this time about two years ago, when he had sat in this very spot and spoken to Sirius's head in the fire. A lump formed in his throat. Tearing his gaze away from the fire, he stood up, retrieved his Invisibility Cloak from his trunk, and headed for the kitchens.

He made his way leisurely through the halls, enjoying the loneliness. For once there wasn't anyone skirting around him as if he were going to burst into flames. No students in the hall to see him pass and whisper feverishly to their friends behind their hands. No groups of three or four walking around, laughing and talking and making Harry burn with longing.

So intent was he on reaching his destination, and so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't notice the other person coming toward him until he ran smack into them, and they both ended up on the floor. Harry sat up quickly, and, after making sure that the cloak was still covering him completely, looked around to see who he had plowed over. He looked right into the misty blue-grey eyes of Luna Lovegood, who, of course, could not see him. She was glancing all around her nervously, trying to figure out what had knocked her down. Harry smiled slightly and stood up.

"Hey, Luna," he greeted her. She stood up quickly, pulling out her wand and whirling in all directions.

"Who's there?" she demanded. Harry backed up, confused at her behavior. Then he realized. She couldn't see him. He mentally banged his head against the wall at his own stupidness. He pulled off the cloak and moved toward her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she spun around, pointing her wand at his chest. She relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Oh, Harry, it's just you," she said, sighing in relief. "I thought it was some crazy ghost stalker or something."

"How do you expect to curse a ghost?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her wand. Luna blushed and shoved her wand back into her robes.

"Well, with all that's going on, do you blame me?" she said defensively. Harry smiled sadly.

"Of course not," he told her. "I was just on my way to the kitchens. I couldn't sleep. Care to join me?" he asked, offering her his arm. She grinned and laced her own arm through his.

"I would be honored," she said, smiling slightly. Harry led her the rest of the way down the corridor until they reached the painting of a giant fruit bowl. He glanced at Luna.

"Do you know how to get in?" he asked her. She shook her head. Harry grinned. "Ha ha, I do." Luna narrowed her eyes and playfully slapped him on the chest. Harry reached up and tickled the pear, causing it to squirm and turn into a giant green door handle. With a pang, Harry remembered how it was Hermione that showed him and Ron how to get into the kitchens in the first place. He shook off the negative thoughts and led Luna inside.

The two of them were immediately greeted by dozens of bowing house-elves, all of them jostling each other with their small elbows, trying to serve Harry and Luna before their neighbors. One tiny brown elf won, however, and pushed his way to the front. He looked up into Harry's face, and Harry had just enough time to register the large, green, tennis ball-sized orbs that belonged to Dobby before the elf had thrown himself around Harry's knees.

"Harry Potter, sir!" the elf squealed, hugging Harry so tightly that Harry was sure that his kneecaps were going to shatter. "It has been so long since Dobby has seen Harry Potter! What is you doing down here so late at night?" Dobby looked up again, and, to Harry's great relief, released his grip on Harry's legs. Harry smiled down at Dobby.

"Hello, Dobby," he said pleasantly. "I was just hungry, so I came down to see if I could get something to eat." Dobby beamed.

"Of course Harry Potter can get something to eat!" he exclaimed brightly. His luminous eyes turned on Luna, who was hiding behind Harry, and his smile faded a bit. "Who has Harry Potter brought with him?" he questioned. Harry turned and pulled Luna up next to him.

"Dobby, this is my friend Luna Lovegood," Harry said. "I don't think you've ever met her before, but I invited her to come down here with me. I hope that's okay."

Dobby's large smile returned. "Of course it is okay with Dobby. Any friend of Harry Potter is a friend of Dobby!" Dobby looked around, as if he were searching for something. "But where is Harry Potter's other friends? Ron Weasley and Miss Granger?" Harry's smile disappeared. Apparently, the elves had not been kept up-to-date on the goings-on of the castle.

"They're not here, Dobby," Harry said quietly. "I don't think you'll see them down here with me anymore." Dobby seemed to realize that he had upset Harry somehow, because he shut up and scurried off to get Harry the food he had asked for. Luna glanced quizzically at Harry, who smiled slightly in return

"That's Dobby," he said, answering her unasked question. "He used to be the Malfoy's house-elf, but then I 'accidentally' set him free. Now he worships me like some kind of hero or something. He's really nice, though, and really helpful. He helped me get through the second task in the Triwizard Tournament back in fourth year, remember that?" Luna nodded. "I wouldn't have been able to survive in the lake without him and his gillyweed…" Harry trialed off, lost in his memories. Luna nudged him in the arm and brought him back to the present. Harry suddenly felt a tug on the bottom of his shirt.

"Dobby has Harry Potter's food, sir!" the elf exclaimed. "This way!" Dobby grabbed Harry's hand and practically dragged him down to the other end of the kitchen, Luna only just managing to keep up. Dobby shoved Harry down into a chair at a small table that had been set up, and Luna, completely out of breath, sat down across from him. Dobby scuttled out of the way, and around a dozen other elves bustled up carrying a tray loaded with food. They placed the tray down in front of Harry and Luna and ran back to their duties. Dobby, however, stayed right at Harry's elbow, watching him eat with shining eyes. Harry glanced down at him.

"Um, Dobby? Do you think you could…I don't know…leave us alone for a bit?" Harry asked. Dobby nodded fervently and ran off. Harry sighed and turned back to Luna, who was still trying to catch her breath.

"Fast little bugger, isn't he?" she gasped. Harry gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, he is," he agreed. "But don't ever let him try to save your life," he cautioned her. "You might not live through it." Luna giggled, though she looked a little confused. Harry looked at her.

"So, what were you doing out this late?" he asked the girl. She sat back in her chair and sighed.

"The girls in my dorm were up practically all night, gossiping," she said. "I guess they thought I was asleep or something, I don't know, but I heard them talking, and they were talking about me. I got fed up with it, so I left. I was just going for a walk; I didn't really have a destination in mind. Just aimless wandering. You?"

It was Harry's turn to sight. "Well, I was asleep, for a short period of time. But then I had a dream, or I guess you could call it a nightmare if you wanted to. But it was about me, and being with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, just like old times. It wasn't a memory, because I hadn't ever done any of those things that I saw before. You know?" Harry then proceeded to tell her about the other dreams that he had had. Luna looked vaguely thoughtful the whole time.

Finally, Harry got to the part in his latest dream, when Hermione gave him an idea of what was possibly happening to him. "And in the dream, Hermione thought that Voldemort is trying to control my thoughts, and making me think that this is all real, and that the dreams are just dreams. She seems to think that this is all a dream, so what we're doing right now, sitting here talking, is just me in my dream dreaming. Does that make any sense at all?"

"No, not really," Luna said, shaking her head. "But I think I kind of see what you're getting at. You think that Voldemort is controlling your mind, so that this right now is just a dream, and Ron isn't really…dead, and Ginny is speaking to you, and Hermione didn't run off with Malfoy, but he wants you to think that it's real, and that your actual real life is just a dream. Right?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds about right," he said thoughtfully. "But I don't know how it's happening, or how I'm going to figure out if that is what's happening, or how I'm supposed to stop if from happening. What do you think?"

Luna shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I have to say that I have absolutely no idea. But don't worry, Harry, we'll figure something out. I promise."

Harry smiled. "Thanks a ton, Luna. It really means a lot to me that you're going to help." Luna's eyes widened.

"I didn't say that!" she exclaimed. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Luna giggled. "I'm just kidding, honestly, Harry. Calm down!" Harry closed his mouth and smiled at her. Luna stood up and held out her hand to him. "Come on, we should be getting back to our dorms." Harry took her hand and stood up.

"I have a better idea," Harry said. "It's almost morning anyways, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to sleep again. So let's just go down to the lake and watch the sun rise." Luna smiled.

"That's a great idea!" she said brightly. "Come on, let's go!" She ran out of the kitchens, dragging Harry behind her.

They arrived at the lake and Harry led her around to his favorite spot under a weeping willow tree. It's long, drooping branches reached way out over the lake, and sitting back against it's trunk provided a beautiful view of the eastern sky, while also providing an excellent hideaway from prying eyes. Harry settled down underneath it, laying back and looking up at the sky. Luna sat down next to him.

"This is great, Harry!" she cried. "How did you figure this place out?" Harry winked at her.

"Well, Luna, being the Boy-Who-Lived can be a bit trying at times, especially when my fan clubs are chasing me around, asking if they can have my socks." Luna giggled and Harry smirked. "No, actually, I usually came here when Ron and Hermione would start arguing…again…and I'd hide out until they came looking for me. They knew about it, but I don't think anyone else did. It's my little getaway from the trials of the world."

"It's beautiful," Luna commented softly. She lay down next to Harry and closed her eyes. "It's so peaceful, too. I could just fall asleep right here." She lay in silence for a few moments, and soon her breathing evened out, and Harry knew that she was indeed asleep. He closed his eyes as well. Luna was right, this was peaceful.

Harry felt the tendrils of sleep tugging at his mind, and he gave way to them, falling into a gentle slumber. And that was where Draco Malfoy found him, right there under the willow tree by the lake, side-by-side with Luna Lovegood.

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**A/N: Whew, sixth chapter done! Finally! I guess you could call this a cliffy if you want to, but I really don't think it is one, because they're not really going to be confronted about it by Draco. It's more of just an ending to a chapter, and now Draco has something on Harry and Luna, even though he doesn't really have anything at all, he just thinks he does. I know, I'm confusing myself too. LOL!! **

**Anyways, I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've last updated. The FanFiction site is being upgraded again, so it won't let me log on to review or update or anything. And also I've been really busy. I'm doing horrible in Biology, so I've been studying to get my grade back up. And finals are at the end of this week, so I'm studying for those as well. And I don't have a study hall this semester, so I can't study during that time. I have to study at home. But I will have a study hall next semester, so when I'm not doing homework in there, I'm going to be writing new chapters for my stories. So I'll be updating much faster in the next few weeks. **

**I'm also in the process of writing a new story, called "Life's Funny That Way." It's a Lily and James story, all about their time at Hogwarts. I know, so many people have done it, but I'm doing it in kind of a different style, one I have seen in a few other stories, but not any Lily-James stories. I'm not quite finished with the first chapter, but it's still not going to be up for a while. I'm going to be putting it up in 2 chapter intervals, so I still have to write the second chapter, as well as finish up the first one. It might be a few weeks, because as I said before, finals and everything. **

**Oh, and I finally got a review for "Living a Charmed Life." So I'm going to be working on updating that one as well, but I don't know when it will be up. I'm really stuck on "And Then the Wheels Came Off", and I really need some help on that one. So, if you have any ideas for pranks, any at all, PLEASE SEND THEM TO ME!!!!! You can email me, or send it in a review, or even IM me if you want to (my sn is short tinny613), but please, GIVE ME IDEAS!!!! I'm also in the process of writing a new chapter for "So Yesterday," but I'm not getting as many reviews for that one as I would have liked. So, please, read the rest of my stories, and don't forget to REVIEW!!!!!!!**


	7. A New Vision

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: I am so so so so so so so so so SO SO SO sorry that I haven't updated in forever. I have been having such bad writer's block, it's not even funny. But I'm on a roll now, I've got like the next three or four chapter written. I hope you don't hate me for not updating in so long. If you do, you'll forgive me after you read these next few chapters. They rock!**

**Also, expect weekly updates from now on. I'm going to be writing the chapters during the week, and then every Friday or Saturday I'll post them. It's not going to be for just one story, I'm working on all of them. So expect the updates every weekend, you're just not going to know what story they are for. **

**Sadly, this story is drawing to a close. I think I'm only going to have about five more chapters, but I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that this one is almost done. **

**And just so you're all aware, I'm only 2 reviews away from the virtual party. In case some of you didn't get the message, I'm changing it to 50 total reviews instead of 100. Right now, as I am typing these words, I have 48. I might have more by the time this is posted, but for the time being, I need 2 more. Then I'll let you know how to get to the party. So if you want a party, review!**

**Okay, author ramblings are over. On with the story!

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Chapter 7: A New Vision

_Harry groaned and opened his eyes. He immediately regretted doing so as the bright sunlight streaming through the window fell on his face, making his pounding headache worse. He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around. _

_He was definitely in the hospital wing. He would recognize those bright white walls anywhere. What he didn't know was why he was in there. He didn't remember falling off his broom, or fighting off a basilisk or anything, so why was he there?_

_A door at the end of the ward opened, and Madame Pomfrey came bustling in. she was carrying an empty tray in her hands and was muttering darkly to herself. Harry followed her movements with his eyes as she hurried right past him and toward her office. Suddenly, she stopped and whirled around. Her eyes met Harry's and she shrieked, dropping the tray with a crash. She put her hand up to her chest, breathing hard, glaring at Harry. _

_"Potter, don't EVER sneak up on me like that again!" she said accusingly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" _

_Harry raised his eyebrows. "I haven't moved from this bed!" he said indignantly. The nurse ignored him, pulling out her wand and levitating the tray to her office. _

_"Never mind now, boy. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I needed to take some potions down to Hagrid, and that is _not _a short walk," she explained. Harry looked at her oddly. _

_"Why didn't you Floo?" he asked. She opened her mouth to answer, seemed to think better of it, and snapped it shut again. _

_"That is a very good question, Mr. Potter, I'll have to think about it when I have time." The whole time the medi-witch was talking she was clattering about in a cupboard next to Harry's bed. She had already pulled out several potions and there were still more on the way. She shoved one into Harry's hands. _

_"What are all these for?" the black-haired boy asked, looking at the bottled. _

_"Just some potions for you to take to help me see what's wrong with you," the nurse said impatiently. "Now drink!" _

_Harry obediently tipped the glass phial to his lips and downed it in one go. He pulled a face and coughed. _

_"This stuff is terrible!" he exclaimed. The nurse scowled and shoved another potion at him. He groaned. "How many of those to I have to drink? He asked, dreading the answer. _

_"All of them." _

_Harry groaned and downed the next one. The medi-witch hovered over him, making sure he drank every last drop. He slowly made his way to the last potion. When he finished that one, Madame Pomfrey pulled out her wand and began moving it up and down his body. She reached his feet and frowned, before moving back up to his head. She made a frustrated tutting noise and put her wand away. _

_"What's wrong with me this time?" Harry asked, only half joking. The nurse turned away and began gathering up the empty potion bottles. _

_"Nothing," she said finally. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. That's what I can't figure out. There is no reason you should have collapsed." _

_Suddenly, it all came back to him. Voldemort messing with his mind. Dreams. Luna. Collapsing in front of his friends. Asking Ginny to help him. Falling to the floor in front of Ginny. Being taken to the Hospital Wing. And the nurse couldn't even figure out what was wrong with him. _

_Madame Pomfrey had left the room, laving Harry alone with his thoughts. He still had a massive headache, and trying to figure things out only made it worse. He drifted off into an uneasy sleep. _

A rustle behind them caused Harry to sit bolt upright. He listened carefully and heard it again. He stood up and pulled out his wand, careful not to wake Luna. They were still under the willow tree by the lake where they had fallen asleep. A twig snapped to Harry's right and he whirled around, his want tip coming to a rest directly between Draco Malfoy's silver eyes.

"Honestly, Potter, you'll put an eye out with that thing if you're not careful," Malfoy scolded him in a chiding voice that reminding Harry strongly of Hermione.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Harry snarled, refusing to lower his wand. The blonde standing in front of him was the prick who had stolen Hermione from him. It took all the self restraint he possessed to keep himself from beating the stuffing out of Malfoy. The Slytherin seemed to sense this and smirked.

"Come on, Potter. Think you can take me?" he said quietly. Harry tried to ignore the attempt to bait him. "Your Weasel friend isn't here to back you up."

Harry felt a surge of anger at the mention of his "Weasel friend." He took a menacing step forward.

"Don't talk about Ron like that, you little git," he said in a deathly quiet voice. His wand was still pointed in Draco's face. "You have no right to insult him. You and your little Death Eater friends did that to him."

"Very intimidating, Potter, but you've got one little detail wrong." Malfoy said smoothly.

"Yeah? What's that?" Harry spat angrily.

Malfoy slowly reached his right hand down and grasped his left sleeve, his grey-blue eyes never leaving Harry's face. Harry's own emerald eyes followed every movement the blonde made. As the black material of Draco's school robes was pulled out of the way, Harry was met with…bare skin. Smooth, pale, perfect skin. No Dark Mark etched into the flesh, marring the surface. Which could only mean one thing.

Malfoy held his right hand out to Harry. "Hi, Draco Malfoy, non-Death Eater," he said solemnly, his former smirk absent. Harry stared at the other boy for a moment, before slowly lowering his wand and reaching out and shaking his hand. Draco pulled his sleeve back down.

"I suggest that you learn all your facts before you make assumptions, Potter," he said quietly. "You might find allies where you thought there were enemies." He turned as if to walk away, then suddenly faced Harry again, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a wand. Harry's grip immediately tightened on his own wand, before he realized that the wand in Draco's hand was facing the wrong way. "Oh, and tell your girlfriend to keep track of her things. I found this in the Entrance Hall." He threw the wand to Harry, who stretched his hand out to catch it.

As soon as the smooth wood made contact with Harry's skin, his scar exploded with pain, nearly blinding him. He tried to drop the wand but it seemed welded to his flesh. His hands flew to his forehead in an attempt to block the pain and he dropped to his knees. He was vaguely aware of Draco at his side, asking him what was wrong, before images began flashing through his mind.

_He was standing on against the wall of a large room. The room was beautiful, with blood red carpeting and a high-risen ceiling painted black. The walls were mad out of smooth grey marble, cool to the touch. There were no windows in the room, which made Harry assume that the room was some kind of dungeon chamber. There was no one else present, which gave Harry a slight chill. He had a bad feeling that the room was not going to stay empty for long. He started for the door and reached for the handle. The knob turned before his fingers could touch it and the door swung open, revealing the tall, pale form of Lord Voldemort. _

_Harry froze, fully expecting Voldemort to raise his wand and hex him into next week. The Dark Lord, however, walked right past Harry and came to a stop in the middle of the room. It dawned on Harry that no one could see or hear him, just like when he went into the diary and the Pensieve. He moved back off to the side, not wanting to miss anything. The pale man's lips curled into a thin smile. _

_"Bing her in," he commanded curtly, his voice echoing through the empty, silent room. Double doors at the other end of the room swung open and two Death Eaters entered the room, holding either arm of a girl who was walking between them. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the girl. Luna. Her long blonde hair hung limp and scraggly around her shoulders. He clothes were filthy and torn and she looked as if she hadn't bathed in weeks. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises, and her eyes were burning with a hatred and fury Harry had never seen there before. _

_The Death Eaters shoved Luna to the floor so that she was kneeling before Voldemort. Voldemort smiled down at her. _

_"Well, my pet," he purred, almost lovingly. "Have we come to a decision yet?"_

_Luna pulled a face and spat at Voldemort's feet. The snake-like man bent down and seized a handful of Luna's hair, yanking her head back so hard it looked like he was going to snap her neck. _

_"Tut, tut," he whispered. "We mustn't forget our manners now. Perhaps it's time for a minor refresher course. I shall send Lucius down to your cell later on for some…lessons." Harry saw Luna's face pale and he had a horrible feeling he knew what those lessons would consist of. _

_Voldemort smiled again. "Very good, pet. I see you are finally beginning to understand. Now," he snarled suddenly, "tell me. Who is the Secret Keeper to Harry Potter's whereabouts?" Luna remained silent. Voldemort's red eyes flashed dangerously. He yanked hard on Luna's hair, which he still held in his fist, causing her to cry out in pain. "I know he has one, and I know you know who it is! Who is it?" _

_"I've told you, I don't know!" Luna yelled. Voldemort sneered at her. _

_"Liar," he breathed. He shoved Luna away from him and stood up. He turned to the Death Eaters that had brought Luna in. "Take her back to her cell. Have a little…chat with her, see if you can't change her mind. When she decides to cooperate, let me know." With a nod, he dismissed the Death Eaters. Each one grabbed an arm and dragged Luna back out of the room. Voldemort watched them go, then turned and clapped his hands together three times. The door he had come in opened, and Lucius Malfoy stalked into the room, his white-blonde hair flashing in the torchlight. He approached Voldemort and bowed, kissing the hem of the man's robes. _

_"You called, my lord?" he asked, standing up straight. Voldemort smiled. _

_"I did indeed, Lucius, my boy. Are you having any luck locating the Potter boy?" _

_Lucius shook his head. "No, sir, none whatsoever. But we are trying," he added hastily. _

_Voldemort smiled. "I know you are. But I have a feeling that Potter's going to be coming out into the open soon enough."_

_Lucius looked confused. "What do you mean, my lord?" he asked. _

_"I mean my plan is working. He is already bewildered. Once I get done with him, he won't know who to trust. He's already having trouble deciding what reality is. If fate is kind to us, I should be able to manipulate him enough so that he turns on everyone who cares for him, including that muggle-loving fool Dumbledore." He laughed, and his cold voice echoed around the room. Lucius smiled. _

_"Excellent, my lord. He may even finish off the old man for us."_

_"No, you fool, he would be so frustrated that he would look to us for assistance. He would join our ranks and we would be unstoppable. Now, get back to work."_

_"Yes, my lord," Lucius said silkily, bowing and backing out of the room. _

_Voldemort chuckled to himself. "Soon, Potter. Soon."

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**A/N: Another chapter done! Yay! Once again, I am so sorry it took so long for me to update. But never fear, I will have the weekly updates now. Well, please REVIEW!**


	8. New Allies, Old Friends

Chapter 8: New Allies, Old Friends

"Potter! Potter, wake up," a loud voice said commandingly.

Harry turned his head to the side, not opening his eyes, trying to get away from the voice. He had a pounding headache, and all he wanted to do was sleep it off. But the owner of the voice wouldn't have that.

"Come on, Potter, stay with me," the voice said, tapping the side of his face rather hard.

"What's wrong with him?" a new voice asked frantically. The voices were vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't put them with faces. All he knew was that one was male and the other was female.

"I don't know, Lovegood, now quit hovering. I can't work with you breathing down my neck," the first person snapped. Yes, the voice was decidedly masculine. The girl gave a snort.

"Work?" she asked skeptically. Harry could almost see the scowl on the man's face as he spoke.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go get the nurse," the voice suggested, a trace of anger present.

"No way, Malfoy," the girl, Lovegood, said stubbornly. Harry suddenly knew who the people were, and opened his eyes. Draco and Luna didn't seem to notice. "He's my friend, and I'm staying. Why don't you go get the nurse?"

"Because I actually know what I'm doing here," Draco said coldly.

"Why do you even care?" Luna asked. "You're not even friends with him."

"If you had actually bee paying attention instead of snoring away over there, you would know otherwise," Draco retorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luna snapped, her eyes narrowing. She started suddenly. "Hey…I don't snore!" she exclaimed. Draco laughed.

"You are such a blonde," he sneered.

"What does that make you then?" Luna shot back.

Draco smirked. "I am one of the few intelligent blondes," he said smoothly.

"If you were so smart, you would have noticed ten minutes ago that your fly is undone."

Draco's eyes widened and he glanced down. He scowled and looked back up at Luna, who was giggling madly. He opened his mouth to say that it was not undone, and that she was just trying to annoy him, but Harry cut them off.

"Honestly, the two of you sound like an old married couple," he stated. Luna, who had been kneeling by Harry's head, jumped at the sound of his voice and flung herself backwards reflexively, toppling over and landing hard on her butt. Draco began laughing, then stopped suddenly and looked down at Harry.

"You're awake!" he said, rather stupidly. Harry chuckled.

"We to state the obvious, Sherlock," he said sarcastically.

"Who's Sherlock?" Draco asked.

"He's a book character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. He was one of the most prominent fictitious detectives of the time. He and his partner, Watson, solved all kinds of mysteries. Like in this one…"

"Okay, Hermione, I don't need a blow by blow description," Draco said teasingly. Harry looked outraged.

"I am not anything like Hermione!" he said in horror. Draco laughed and hauled Harry to his feet.

"Whatever, Potter," he said, then suddenly became serious. "Are you okay?"

Harry shrugged slowly. "I really don't know. I'm really confused right now."

"What happened, Harry?" Luna asked anxiously, shoving Draco aside and throwing her arms around Harry. "You scared me to death. Was it another one of those vision things?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said, ignoring the bewildered look Draco threw him. "I think it was, but I really don't know."

"I think maybe you should talk to Dumbledore," Draco suggested. "He might actually know what you're rambling about."

Harry made a face but agreed with Draco. They began to walk across the grounds, and Harry suddenly realized that Luna had intertwined her fingers with his. He smiled slightly but didn't pull away. Draco glanced at them and smirked. Harry frowned.

"What?" he asked. Draco only shook his head and kept walking.

"No, you're not pulling that one on me!" Harry exclaimed. "What's so funny?" Draco opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a shout.

"Draco!"

The trio looked up to see Hermione running across the grounds toward them, her shiny brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. She threw her arms around Draco, hugging him tightly. She pulled away, glaring fiercely at him.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she exclaimed, hitting him on the chest. Draco looked surprised.

"What did I do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She glared at him.

"Don't act as if you don't know, Draco Edward Malfoy!" she practically screamed. Draco paled and looked around wildly.

"Don't say that out loud, people will hear you!" he hissed, glaring at Harry, who was sniggering.

"Edward?" the black haired boy whispered. Draco scowled.

"Shut up, Potter."

"I wake up this morning to find the bed empty," Hermione exclaimed, completely ignoring Draco's protests. "I though you had been kidnapped or something!"

"Why on Earth would you think that?" Draco asked his frantic girlfriend. She pulled a wand out of her robes and slapped it against his chest.

"Next time you leave the room early like that, don't leave your wand in the middle of the floor," she huffed. Draco grinned.

"Sorry, love," he said, swooping down and planting a kiss on her lips. "Won't happen again."

Hermione sighed. "OF course it will, Draco. It will probably happen again tomorrow."

"But you still love me," Draco said. "You can't help it. I'm just so gosh darn sexy." **(A/N: My ex used that line on me whenever I got mad at him for doing something stupid. Trust me, in real life, that line doesn't work. Why do you think he's my ex?) **

"Of course I do, and you know you are," Hermione said, laughing. "So, are you going to tell me where you've been, or am I just going to have to assume you're in trouble?"

Draco drew himself up haughtily. "Never assume, Hermione. You know what they say about it. But if you _must _know, I was not in trouble. I merely took a walk down to the lake, ran into Potter here, and then he decided he was going to take a nap, so I stuck around till he woke up."

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" Harry said defensively, then realized that the blonde was joking. He grinned. Hermione, however, was not satisfied.

"Nap?" she asked.

"It's nothing, Hermione" Harry said quickly. Hermione smiled nervously.

"So…you're speaking to mea gain?" she asked. Harry grinned.

"Apparently," he said. Hermione squealed and threw herself into his arms, hugging him so tightly she nearly crushed his lungs.

"Hermione," Harry gasped. "You're suffocating me." She let him go, blushing.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It's just that I really missed you," she said quietly. She grabbed his hand suddenly and pulled him away from the other two. Draco looked annoyed at being left with Luna. Luan, on the other hand, winked slyly at Harry and grabbed Draco's arm, wrapping herself around him seductively. Harry snickered as Draco's eyes widened in horror.

Hermione stopped a short distance away and turned to look at Harry. Harry was startled to see that her brown eyes were filled with tears.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked. She broke down completely and threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into his chest, soaking his shirt. "I'm so sorry!"

"For what?" Harry asked, completely bewildered.

"I completely abandoned you! I hurt you so badly, and I didn't even realize it! And now you're having visions again, and I'm not there to help you through it. I'm such a horrible friend, a horrible person!" she cried, nearly in hysterics.

Harry began stroking her hair unconsciously. "No, 'Mione, you're not. You're the best friend anyone could ask for. It's my fault for getting to angry," he said, trying to calm her down. It worked. She stopped crying and looked up at him, her face tearstained.

"Please forgive me, Harry," she whispered. Harry smiled and brushed the remaining tears from her cheeks.

"I already have," he said. He took her arm and led her back to the other two.

Draco was busy trying to detach himself from Luna, who was stubbornly refusing to let go. Harry walked up and pried her off, and Draco immediately placed Hermione in between him and Luna. Hermione laughed.

"Draco, I heard your stomach rumble," she said playfully. "Let's go get some breakfast. It's only ten, and it's Saturday."

The four students began making their way back up to the castle. An unlikely group, Harry thought. But, hey, a friend was a friend, and now Harry had three good ones.

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**A/N: Wow, totally lame ending. Seriously. But anyways, now Harry's got friends! Yay for him! Oh, and by the way, I lied in the last chapter. This story isn't almost done. I've already got up to chapter 11 written, and I've still got a ton of ideas for this story. So I'm not sure how long it's gonna be, but I do know that it will be at least fifteen chapters. And I decided to post it now, because tomorrow (February 5, Saturday) I am going up to Manteno, Illinois for a Show Choir competition. It's going to be so much fun! **

**Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy! I've finally gotten a total of 50 reviews! It's party time! Yay! I'm still not sure exactly when I'm going to have it, but I promise that I will let you know as soon as I know. I think actually I have 51 or 52, but I don't know for sure. I wish I had that many for one story, but hey, I'll take any review you can throw at me. **

_**I do, however, want to thank Danu3 greatly. This person has been my one true reviewer the whole time. Look at this, hun, I'm dedicating a whole entire paragraph to you! You're so cool, I love you so much (in a non sicko, stalker kind of way, of course)! You have loyally reviewed every single—I repeat—EVERY SINGLE chapter I have posted. You have totally made my day more than once. I owe a lot to you. Because of your positive reaction to the story, people have started reading it, and now I have almost twenty reviews for this story alone. I am so sending you virtual cookies! You are totally going to be my guest of honor at my party. I mean it. Once again, thank you so much! **_

**And, yes, I am going to have an actual party, for those of you in doubt. It's not just a saying that I use, I'm actually going to have a party. I don't know when exactly, but I will let you know. **

**Anyways, click on that little purple/blue/periwinkle/whiteish button down there at the bottom and REVIEW! **

**Oh, BTW, the next few chapters are going to end in major cliffhangers. Just a heads up! **

**REVIEW! **


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hey, sorry, this isn't a new chapter. DON'T CLOSE THE WINDOW! I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!**

OMG! I have over 20 reviews for "Just as Dream"! I'm so totally excited! I really can't believe it! Okay, so now you're thinking, "20 reviews, so what?" But for me, it's not "So what?" It's "OH BOY, PEOPLE REALLY LIKE MY STORY!" Yeah, I know, I'm retarded.

Anyways, I just want to thank all the people who have reviewed so far. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Okay, so I just want to explain why I'm not updating lately. I have up to chapter 12 finished. I am working on typing all of them out, but it's not going as well as I'd planned. I'm having some major issues with friends and stuff. I mean, in just the last week I've had to talk by best friend out of suicide several times. It can really bring a person down, you know? And if you've never gone through it before, then you definitely don't know how I feel, so I'm talking to a wall. I mean, she's had problems with cutting and stuff, and just the other day she wrote me a good bye poem (she loves to write poetry) and then she signed off IM right after she sent it to me, so naturally I panicked, and then I freaked and I've had writers block for the last week because I can't think of anything besides her. But I think things are starting to turn around, so hopefully my muse will return and I'll have some decent chapters up for you.

Well, now you know why I haven't been updating. I did put up a chapter last Saturday, but the next one might not be up for a little while. It all depends on how things are going for me.

In case you couldn't tell, I could really use someone to talk to who doesn't know me and won't judge me on being a bad friend like some of my so-called "friends" at school. So please IM me or something. My AOL screen name is HPfanfreak129. I'm on nearly 24-7, so please talk to me. I really could use someone to talk to.

Thank you so much for being patient with me, and please don't forget to review!


	10. Coming to Terms With Reality

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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Chapter 9: Coming to Terms With Reality

Harry made his way up to Dumbledore's office. He had told Hermione and Draco about the weird dreams he had been having, and about not being sure what was real. He felt a bit odd talking to someone who might be a figment of his imagination, but he needed to tell someone. Their advice had been the same: Go to Dumbledore. So that's what he did.

He reached the stone gargoyle, almost without realizing it. He had been told the password by Hermione, "Lemon Drop," **(A/N: I know, I know, so cliché.) **and gave it to the gargoyle, which sprang to life and admitted him. He stepped onto the moving staircase. He knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a reply.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, playing with one of his strange silver instruments. He would watch it as it spun one direction, producing blue-green smoke. Then he would tap it with his want and watch as it changed directions and emitted pink-purplish smoke. Harry cleared his throat and Dumbledore looked up, smiling.

"So sorry, dear boy," the headmaster said, placing the toy back on its shelf. "I have so much fun with my toys that I lose track of time."

"It's alright, sir," Harry said. Dumbledore sat back down, waved Harry into a chair, and clasped his hands in front of him.

"Now, young Harry, what is troubling you, my boy?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, then spilled everything. He told Dumbledore all about the events of the summer, including his and Hermione's breakup and Ron's death. He told Dumbledore about the strange dreams he had been having, and even confessed to feeling weird talking to someone who might not even exist. He told the headmaster about Luna, and their progressing relationship that might not be real. He told about the possibly imaginary befriending of Draco and Hermione. He finished off his story with the vision he had just had.

When he finished speaking, he sat back and looked at the headmaster. Dumbledore simply gazed back at him, his hands still folded on the desk, bright blue eyes boring into emerald green ones.

"Er…that's it," he said, somewhat lamely.

"I see," Dumbledore said quietly. He stood up and made his way over to a shiny black cabinet in the corner of his office. He pulled out a stone basin with strange runes carved on the side. He set it on the desk, and Harry recognized it immediately as the Penseive he had fallen through twice before. Dumbledore took his seat again and Harry looked at him curiously.

"This is a Penseive, Harry," the headmaster said, then sat back as though waiting for Harry to comment on it.

"Um…I know that, sir," Harry said slowly, wondering if the old man had lost his mind.

"Then you know what a Penseive is used for, yes?"

"Yes." Harry really didn't see where this was going, but he felt he should play along.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and began chanting under his breath. As he did so, his wand tip roved around the rim of the Penseive. The silvery liquid inside began to swirl, and Harry watched, fascinated, as a whirlpool rose out of the basin. Dumbledore continued his ritual until the whirlpool nearly touched the ceiling. He slowed his chanting and began to hum, moving his wand in the opposite direction until the swirling liquid was back in the bowl. He snapped his gaze up so suddenly that Harry gasped.

"I have heard of this before," Dumbledore began in an explanation to Harry's unasked question. "I believe that your subconscious has been torn between two worlds. One would is reality, and the other is not. I have cast a spell on the Penseive so that it will be able to tell the difference."

"Wait," Harry interrupted. "How do I know that this isn't some trick Voldemort is playing in my mind to make me vulnerable?"

Dumbledore smiled, and instead of answering, reached across the table and pinched Harry's arm. Harry yelped and jerked away.

"I believe that this world is the reality," Dumbledore said, ignoring Harry's angry glare. "But I cannot be certain. Tell me, though, Harry, have you ever been physically hurt in your so-called 'dream world?'"

Harry though for a moment. "Well," he began slowly. "I've had a headache before, but I think I've read somewhere that a headache is caused by mental stress, and isn't considered physical pain. So no, I haven't been hurt there before."

"Well, just to be on the safe side, we're going to use the Penseive test. Simply think about your dream, and see it in your mind's eye. Then, place your wand tip on your temple and draw out that thought. Then place it in the Penseive." Harry began to obey, drawing a silvery string of thought from his temple, before an idea struck him.

"Wait," he said again, letting go of the thought. He felt it snap back against his head, like a rubber band, and yelped, glaring as the headmaster chuckled. "How exactly am I going to know what's real and what isn't?"

"The spell is designed to thrown you back into your correct world. If this is reality, then you will feel a small jolt of electricity, much like a static shock, but you will remain here. But if your dream is your reality, then you will feel an electric zap, but you will find yourself right back in the place where your dream last left off."

"And what if it doesn't work?" Harry asked nervously.

"The spell is absolutely flawless, my boy, it is guaranteed to work, or I get my money back!" HE chuckled at the horrified look on Harry's face. "Only joking, dear boy. Now, enough dawdling. Place your thoughts in the Penseive."

Harry took a deep breath and did as he was told. As he felt the thought being removed from his head, a small shiver passed up his spine. Suddenly, he gasped as he felt, as Dumbledore described it, an electric shock. His eyes snapped open and he found himself looking into the eyes of…

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**A/N: Dun, dun, dun! I am so evil! Mwahahahahahahah! I'm back and better than ever! Okay, not really, but I'm having a moment, so leave me alone. **

………………………

**Okay, moment over. **

**OMG! I am so so so sorry that I have not updated in forever! My computer died, _AGAIN_, and we had to delete everything, _AGAIN_. I had this entire chapter written, plus, like, three more. But the internet wasn't working, everything else was fine, it was just the internet, so before even talking to me about it, my parents dumped the computer! I lost all of my stories, _AGAIN_, so I had to type this one all over again. **

**But guess what!...Go on, guess!...Oh, wait, sorry, you can't. Hehe. I FINISHED THIS STORY! I AM TOTALLY DONE WRITING IT, AND I AM SO SO SO SO SO EXCITED! It has 20 chapters total. I'm working on posting the rest of them, but I really don't know how soon it will be completely posted. I'll let you know every chapter how many chapters are left. BUT I'M FINISHED! **

**Eleven chapters left to go...**

**I just want to thank all of you who gave me your support after that last note that I posted, like, two weeks ago. Things have started to get better, except for the fact that my boyfriend cheated on me with one of his ex's so I had to dump him. But really, things have gotten a whole lot better for me, and once again I want to thank you all for your support and loyalty. I hope you don't hate me too much for waiting so long to update. **

**Review responses for both chapter 8 and the authors note:**

**Fleury: I'm actually glad you feel that way. That's the way I want people to react to my stories. It lets me know that I'm putting enough emotion into them. **

**randomreaderguy: I'm glad you think so. I didn't want it to all be sad. **

**SilverTrinity: Well, you won't have to wait long. This story is actually going somewhere! Finally! You'll figure things out in the next few chapters. **

**Danu3: Sure you can have your own chair. If your computer chair has your name on it. LOL! The Fig Newtons are on the way! I'm sort of glad you could relate to me, by the way. I mean, I'm not glad that you had to experience it, but at least someone can relate. Oh, and just so you know, I have told her that, and she still doesn't believe me. **

**PadfootsLuvr: Thanks for the IM. But right now, the IM is causing a virus on our computer, so I can't use it until we get a firewall. But I'll return, don't worry. **

**MyStOrIeS: I'm glad you understand. No, you're not missing anything, I'm just taking a really long time to be specific about things. Things will clear up in the next few chapters. Oh, but I was wondering. How in the world can you be so critical of my story one minute, and then all of a sudden tell me that you love the story and hope I update? I mean, I really appreciate the pointers, but please, don't have such a split personality when reviewing. It really confuses me. I don't know whether you like the story or you hate it. Either give me an honest criticism, a flat out flame, or a good comment. Not all three in the same review. I'm really not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to clear a few things up in my own head. **


	11. He Knows

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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Chapter 10: He Knows

Harry found himself staring into the eyes of Albus Dumbledore. He grinned broadly.

"Did it work?" he asked eagerly. Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, dear boy, I believe it did," he said calmly.

Harry's smile widened. He leapt out of his chair excitedly.

"So this is real?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling. Harry paused in his celebration. "Wait," he said, for the third time that evening. "How do I know that this isn't some elaborate scheme Voldemort cooked up to confuse me?"

Dumbledore smiled gently. "Harry, that is where you decide how much you trust me," he said. "Now, I believe you have some friends you need to see?"

"Yes sir!" Harry exclaimed, turning and running out of the office. Dumbledore chuckled to himself as the door slammed shut.

Harry raced down the hall, which was, thankfully, empty. He tore up the stairs two at a time, heading for the head dorm, where he knew his friends were waiting for him. He rounded a corner a mere twenty feet from the dorm and collided with a rather solid black object. He nearly fell over, and would have if a strong hand hadn't gripped his arm. He looked up into the scowling face of Professor Snape.

"Do watch where you're going, Potter," he snapped, letting go of Harry and brushing off is robes, as if they were contaminated.

"Sorry, sir, won't happen again," Harry said cheerfully. Snape looked rather taken aback. He had clearly been expecting a biting reply from the boy.

"Yes, well…see that it doesn't," he said smoothly, and glided off down the corridor, his robes billowing in a black cloud behind him. Harry snorted quietly and entered the head dorm.

He found the people he was looking for sprawled haphazardly about the common room. Hermione was sitting on the couch—reading, of course—and Draco was splayed across her lap. The book was laying flat on his stomach, and Hermione was leaning forward to read it, her elbow planted firmly in Draco's ribs, her chin propped in her hand. Her other hand was twisting a lock of Draco's blonde hair. Draco, it seemed, was sound asleep. Luna was seated in front of the fire, her wand tucked behind her ear, and pair of knitting needles in her hands. Harry stopped in the doorway.

"Are you _knitting_?" he asked incredulously. Luna looked up at him, smiling mildly.

"Hermione talked me into it," she explained. Hermione looked up.

"I did not!" she exclaimed. "You insulted my elf hats and stole the needles from me!"

"All I said was that I thought the elves could use some hats that actually looked like hats," Luna said calmly.

"My hats look like hats!" Hermione cried indignantly. Luna snorted and pulled something out of her bag.

"This looks like a wooly bladder. This does not look like a hat," she said.

"Yes it does!"

"Harry, does this look like a hat to you?" Luna asked, turning to him. Harry was startled at being asked his opinion.

"Erm…well, I, er, I can't see it very well from here," he said slowly, remaining firmly in the doorway. Luna gave an exasperated sigh and threw the hat at Harry, who caught it before it hit him in the face.

"Well?" Hermione demanded. Harry looked between the two angry girls and then down at the…thing in his hand.

"Erm…" he said slowly, trying desperately to come up with an excuse to get himself out of answering. "Um, don't you guys want to hear what went on in Dumbledore's office?" he tried weakly.

"NO, we want to know what you think of the hat," Luna said.

"Um, well…" he began, looking up at Hermione apologetically. Her eyes narrowed.

"Harry James Potter, don't you dare tell me that that hat looks bad, or I break your wand in half, shove one end down your throat and the other up your rear end, and force them further and further until they meet again in your bladder," she threatened. Harry's eyes widened and he gulped. A snicker came from the sleeping figure on the couch, making them all jump.

"Wow, Potter, can't wait to see you get yourself out of this one," Draco said smugly, not opening his eyes.

"I thought you were sleeping!" Hermione accused.

"Well, it's kinda hard to sleep when you lot won't shut up," the blonde said snidely. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, dumping Draco unceremoniously onto the floor.

"Well that's just fine, Mr. Malfoy," she said haughtily. "We'll just see how you like sleeping on the floor then."

Draco scowled and crossed his arms across his chest, muttering darkly. Harry caught the words "over-bearing" and "not my mother." Apparently, Hermione heard them as well, because she grabbed a pillow and thumped her boy-friend in the back of the head.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "You'll mess up my hair!"

Hermione giggled and sat back down on the couch, positioning herself so that she had one of her legs on either side of Draco, who was still on the floor. She leaned down to kiss his forehead, her brown curls falling onto his face. Luna made a gagging noise from her spot in front of the fire.

"Okay, let's stop this now before it turns into a snogging session between you tow," she said teasingly. "Otherwise, Harry and I will have to start snogging so we don't feel left out."

"What's wrong with that?" Harry asked, only half-joking. It was his turn for a pillow in the face, this one thrown by Luna, who must have conjured it, because there were no pillows anywhere near her.

"Okay, okay, everyone shut up!" Draco commanded. "I want to know what went on in the old man's office. Spill, Potter."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Draco, you're worse than a girl when it comes to gossip."

"Yes, but you love me for it," Draco said smoothly, grinning.

"Shut up, both of you, I want to hear what Harry has to say," Luna said.

"Okay, well, Dumbledore did this weird spell kind of thing on his Penseive. He said it was flawless, and it would send me into my real reality. So I did what he told me to, and I stay put," Harry paused to breath, letting the information sink in before continuing.

"So what does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"It means that this is real, and my dreams are just…dream."

"What about the visions?" Luna asked.

"Well, I told him about the one I had a few hours ago, you know? He says that there's a Secret Keeper for me. Apparently, they cast the spell on me last year to keep me away from Voldemort physically. And Voldemort wants the Secret Keeper so that he can find out where I am. It's like, no matter where I'm at, even if I'm right in front of him, he can't find me. So I can go wherever, but if the Secret Keeper tells, then I'm easy prey."

"Who's the Secret Keeper?" Draco asked curiously. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno. Dumbledore wouldn't tell me. All he said was that it was someone who they would never suspect."

"I wonder who it could be," Hermione said excitedly, her brain kicking into gear.

"I don't know, but I think I have a hunch of who it might be," Harry said.

"Who?" the other three said simultaneously, leaning in to hear.

"I think it might be Snape," Harry said. Realization dawned on the three faces in front of him as they pondered that thought.

"That would be perfect," Hermione said finally. "I mean, he is right in Voldemort's inner circle, isn't he? Why should Voldemort suspect any of his Death Eaters? It makes perfect sense."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "And I'm safe as long as Snape doesn't cave."

The words had barely left his mouth when, for the second time that day, his scar exploded in pain. He clapped his hands to his head, only vaguely hearing the girls' panicked cries and Draco's calming voice tell him to relax. His eyes rolled back in his head, and it was as if someone switched on a film strip before his eyes.

_He was once again standing off to the side of the large dungeon room. Nearly three dozen Death Eaters were gathered in a circle around a pedestal set up in the center of the room. The double doors at one end opened and Voldemort strolled in, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape on his heels. He climbed up onto the platform and the group fell silent._

_"My loyal Death Eaters," he began smoothly. "I have good news and bad news." His lips curled into a mile. "Which do you want first?" _

_The Death Eaters were silent, unmoving. Then a shout came up from the back: "Bad!" _

_Voldemort chuckled. "Okay, then, Avery. The bad news is that Harry Potter is now aware that I have been messing with his mind, and he knows now what his reality is. That fool Dumbledore used a spell I hadn't anticipated, and Potter now knows what is going on." _

_There were scattered mumbles spread around the group. Voldemort held up his hands to silence them. _

_"However, the good news greatly overrides the bad news. I believe Severus has something he wants to say?" _

_Harry's heart pounded in his chest as he watched his Potions master step up onto the platform. He looked to Voldemort before speaking. _

_"Dumbledore has made me Secret Keeper to the Potter boy's whereabouts," he said simply, before stepping onto the floor again. _

_Voldemort began to laugh, his eyes shining with glee. "Wonderful! Severus, come with me, we shall discuss Potter. We attack at sunrise in three day's time." _

The image slowly faded away, and Harry opened his eyes to see three worried faces bending over him.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry said up, staring horrified at the others. "Harry, what is it?"

"He knows."

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**A/N: Ten chapters left. **

**Review!**


	12. Uh Oh

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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Chapter 11: Uh Oh

"Knows?" Hermione asked frantically. "Knows what?"

"Snape told him who the Secret Keeper was," Harry said, feeling oddly calm.

"Who is it?" Draco asked.

"Snape," Harry said simply.

"Harry. Harry, this isn't good!" Hermione said, her voice rising in pitch as she neared hysteria. "Harry, you need to go straight to Dumbledore, tell him what happened. He'll get Snape in here, and you'll figure it all out. Oh, Merlin, he'll tell Voldemort where you're at, hand he'll come and find you and you'll have to go and fight and you might die and…Oh, Harry!" the brunette witch burst into tears and flung herself at Harry, sobbing into his chest.

Harry looked startled and put his arms around her, trying to calm her down. He looked up at Draco, who was looking at his girlfriend with a mixture of confusion and concern. The blonde moved to Harry and pulled Hermione off of him, carrying her to the couch, where she sopped onto his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead repeatedly and whispering soothing words into her ear until she calmed down. Luna moved and sat down next to Harry, who reached out and took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

"Guys, I think I'm going to head up to Dumbledore's office, let him know what's going on," Harry said, standing up. Draco looked at him in awe.

"Merlin, Potter, how can you be so calm about this?" the Slytherin asked.

"About what?"

"All of this!" Draco exclaimed. "Snape gave away your secret, you're going to have to fight the _Dark Lord_. You might even…die. And yet you act as if you're planning a picnic in the park. If it were me, I'd be tearing my hair out."

"No you wouldn't, you'd ruin it," Harry said, smirking. Draco laughed.

"But don't think you're alone in this," he said seriously. "We're all here for you. Let's go to Dumbledore's office." He stood up, grabbed Hermione's hand, and marched out of the room. Harry followed, still holding Luna's hand.

Harry knocked, for the second time that day, on the headmaster's door. Without waiting for a response from within, Draco flung the door open and charged into the office. Dumbledore looked up, smiling, his eyes twinkling.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy…and friends," he said good-naturedly. "What can I do for you today?"

"Sir," Harry cut in before Draco could reply. "I need to know something. Is…was Professor Snape my Secret Keeper?"

Dumbledore's smile never faltered, but his eyes lost the twinkle slightly. "Why, yes, Harry, he is," he said, sounding somewhat confused. "And if I may…why do you say 'was?'"

Harry took a breath to answer, but Draco jumped in. "Because that filthy scum bag told You-Know-Who that he was, and that he knew where Harry was," the Slytherin snarled furiously, his blue-grey eyes flashing. Hermione laid a hand on his arm.

"Draco," she said softly, but with a slight warning edge to her voice. Draco glowered, but backed off so Harry could talk.

"Dir, I had a vision just now of Professor Snape informing Voldemort that he was the Secret Keeper," he explained. The headmaster sighed, suddenly looking like the tired, one hundred-plus year old man that he was.

"Yes, my boy, I am afraid that Severus has come clean," he said sadly. At the four teens' outraged expressions, he held up a hand. "Let me explain. When Harry informed me of the last vision he had, it came into light that Voldemort was going to capture Miss Lovegood here, and torture her until she revealed who the Secret Keeper was." Luna nodded, having already known this from Harry's vision. "I simply could not let that happen. So I told Severus that he was to come forward and reveal himself to Voldemort. I apologize, Harry, but I am afraid that you are indeed going to have to fight Voldemort, though when that will be I am not sure. I am still waiting for Severus to report back to me."

"Actually, sir, in the vision Voldemort said that they would be attacking at sunrise in three days' time," Harry offered. Dumbledore gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Harry," he said. "Now, I suggest the three of you go back to your dorms."

"Three?" Harry said, looking around. Sure enough, Luna was gone. "Where'd Luna go?" he asked. The other two looked around as well.

"I don't know, she must have gone back to the dorm already," Hermione said. Harry shrugged.

"Potter, you can stay in the Head Dorm tonight if you want," Draco offered. Harry smiled.

"Thanks, Malfoy," he said gratefully. Hermione made a small noise of frustration.

"Honestly, you guys are _friends_ now," she said. "Call each other by your proper names already."

Draco smirked. "All right then. Hey, Scarhead, you wanna stay in our dorms tonight?" he said snidely.

"Sure, Ferret, why not?" Harry retorted good-naturedly.

"Honestly!" Hermione exclaimed, turning on her heel and marching to the door. Harry made to follow but was stopped by Draco's hand on his arm.

"Sir," Draco began. "I want both you and Harry to know that when this war starts, I'm by your side all the way. I'm not Death Eater scum like that prat I'm forced to call my father," he finished bitterly. Dumbledore smiled softly.

"Thank you, Draco," he said. "I will inform the two of you when the battle begins. In the mean time, I want all of you, Miss Lovegood and Miss Granger included, to be on alert at all times. I'm sure I'm correct in saying that the ladies will not be sustained during the battle."

"That is correct, sir," came Hermione's voice from the doorway. "Luna and I will remain by Harry and Draco without hesitation."

"I thought you left," Draco said, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. She scowled.

"I was waiting outside for you two, but you didn't come out. So I came back."

Draco walked over to her and kissed her forehead, placing his hands on the door frame on either side of her head.

"Go back to the dorms, love," he said quietly. "Harry and I will be there soon. There are just some things we need to discuss."

"Alright," Hermione agreed. "But I'm waiting up for you." She turned and left the office again. Draco sighed and slumped into a chair.

"I swear, that woman is the biggest pain in the neck," he groused. "I won't have her out there fighting Death Eaters where she may be killed."

"Draco," Harry said gently. "I seriously doubt you'll be able to keep her out of it. Ever since fourth year when Voldemort came back, she's been determined to destroy him. I think—as much as I hate to say it—the only way to keep her away from the battle is to kill her."

Draco sighed again, defeated. "I know, I just don't want to lose her, is all."

"And we will do our best to keep that from happening, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Stop calling me Mr. Malfoy," he snapped. "That's my father, and I don't want to be associated with him in any way."

"My apologies," the headmaster said. "Now, I believe the two of you should get to bed. I shall notify you when we have a plan of action."

The two boys thanked him and exited the office. They walked in silence for a few moments, before Draco turned suddenly.

"Wait, the dorms are this way," Harry said, scrambling to catch up. "Where are you going?"

"I need to take a walk," Draco said. "I'm going outside." Harry fell into step next to him and they exited the castle.

The cool breeze ruffled Harry's hair. He shivered slightly but didn't complain. It was a beautiful night. The two of them walked all the way around the castle grounds several times, and the sky had just begun to lighten whey Draco finally broke the silence.

"Are you scared?" he asked suddenly. Harry, knowing exactly what the blonde was talking about, shook his head slightly.

"No," he said. "I'm not, really. I should be, but I'm not. I mean, I know I have to do this. Not just for me, but for everyone."

"I'm a bit confused," Draco said. "Dumbledore had Snape come clean just to keep Luna safe?"

"Seems like it," Harry agreed.

"Too bad it didn't work."

Harry and Draco stopped dead. Both knew that voice only too well. They whirled around in unison, whipping out their wands by pure reflex. Green and grey locked with piercing red. Lord Voldemort chuckled.

"What are you going to do, boys?" he asked maliciously. "Kill me?"

"Bingo," Draco snarled, and he and Harry raised their wand. Voldemort chuckled.

"I wouldn't if I were you," he taunted. With a snap of his fingers, Death Eaters began Apparating around them. Harry and Draco stood back to back, hopelessly outnumbered.

"You see, children," Voldemort began, his eyes glinting with glee. "I can do many tings. I have a great number of loyal followers. You have nothing."

"All we have to do is kill you," Harry spat. "Once you're out of the way, all that remains is annihilating you Death Eaters."

"But if you kill me, they will kill you." Harry threw his head back and laughed.

"You think that scares me?" he asked gleefully. "Considering my life right now, I'd welcome death. Once I destroy you, I'll have fulfilled my purpose, and then I'm done. Face it, Tommy boy, your threats mean nothing to me. Why should I be afraid of a Mudblood?"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "How dare you speak to me like that, you insolent little brat. Maybe I don't scare you, but perhaps this will." He snapped his fingers again.

Two people appeared. Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape. Each one was grinning maniacally. And each one held a girl in his arms. Harry felt his heart plummet.

They had Hermione and Luna.

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**A/N: Dun dun dun! AGAIN! I told you that the next few chapters would be cliffies. LoL. I don't lie! Mwahahahahahaha! **

**Okay, I'm done now. Sorry, the devil on my shoulder has decided to take over lately. LOL! He's very evil, and he likes to scare little children. I'm putting him in time-out, though, so I'm hoping that will turn him around. **

**Nine chapters left…**

**REVIEW! **


	13. I'm Not Alone

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Eight chapters left…

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Chapter 12: I'm Not Alone

Draco took a step towards his father, who was holding Hermione.

"Let her go," he growled, his fists clenching. The hand holding his wand tightened, the knuckles whitening. Harry put his hand on Draco's arm, efficiently keeping him from leaping on Lucius. Identical blue-grey eyes met, narrowed.

"Draco, you disappoint me," Lucius said coolly. "Look at how low you've sunk. Caring about the fate of a Mudblood. Taking orders from Potter. How pathetic."

"Better than taking orders from you," Draco shot back, unfazed by his father's biting insults.

Lucius sneered. "if I were you, _son_," he said, spitting out the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "I would watch what I say. You wouldn't want me to hurt your precious little Mudblood, would you?"

"Don't call her that," Draco snarled angrily, trying to rip his arm free of Harry's grip. Harry stubbornly refused to let go.

"Shut up, boy, respect your elders," Snape cut in, his black eyes narrowed. Harry looked at his Potions teacher in astonishment.

"Professor Snape?" he said uncertainly. Snape turned his gaze to Harry.

"What's the matter, Potter?" he asked mockingly. "Did you think I was actually on your side? That I was spying for you all this time? Didn't you know that one day I would turn on you and your precious Order?"

During this little speech, Snape's eyes never left Harry's face. Harry stared at him, trying to read the expression in the black eyes. Suddenly, he understood. Snape was bluffing. There was almost a pleading look in his eyes, apologizing, begging for forgiveness. Harry widened his own eyes to show that he understood.

"I trusted you!" he shouted, playing along. "I can't believe you used me like that!"

"As much as I love all this drama," Voldemort cut in sarcastically. "We need to get down to business. I have a proposition for you, young Potter."

"What's that?" Harry snapped.

"Patience is a virtue, my young friend. Now, am I correct in saying that you want your friends out safely?"

"Yes," Harry said slowly, suspiciously. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he was having an almost civilized conversation with Lord Voldemort, but he ignored that.

"Then I will let them go. On the condition that you stay."

Harry saw Luna and Hermione's eyes widen and they began to struggle against their captors. Draco tensed next him. Harry slowly looked from one face to another, considering his options. He slowly nodded his head.

Voldemort threw his head back and laughed. "Excellent! I knew you would come around. Release the girls." Malfoy and Snape shoved the girls to the ground. Draco immediately gathered Hermione into his arms. "Lucius, Macnair, Avery, Bellatrix, and Wormtail. All of you stay with me. Severus, take these four students into the forest and finish them off."

"But you said you'd let them go!" Harry shouted, trying to break away from Snape, who was now holding him.

"Did you really think I was serious?" Voldemort asked, laughing. "Really, Potter, you're too trusting. On second thought, Severus, let's just kill them right here."

Harry suddenly became aware of Snape whispering in his hear. He concentrated on what Snape was saying while Voldemort was explaining his plan to the other Death Eaters.

"…as fast as you can back to the castle," Snape was saying. "Go straight to Albus. Tell him we're here."

"But the others," Harry objected. "They'll be killed."

"When you run, the Dark Lord will be too concerned with you to worry about them. I'll give you a good enough head start. Go, now!"

He released Harry and without thinking twice, Harry took off. He ran as fast as he could, rapidly approaching the castle. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he left his friends in the hands of Voldemort as he ran. Suddenly he heard Snape's shout of "Get back here, Potter!" and he ran even faster. Jets of red light began flying by him and he dodged them expertly. He burst through the front door, succeeding in startling the few students that were not at breakfast. He ignored them and slammed open the doors to the Great Hall, barreling down the center of the room towards the head table, unaware of the silence as every pair of eyes focused on him. He slammed into the table, doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

"Harry, my boy, what is it?" Dumbledore asked, standing up.

Harry only managed to gasp out a few words, but he was sure he got his point across. "Tom…grounds…Snape…ran…coming…"he croaked in between breaths. Dumbledore's face hardened and he straightened up.

"Students, calmly but quickly return to your dorms. I would like all the members of the DA to meet me up here. Now." **(A/N: He knows about the DA, remember 5th book and Umbridge? Just because I haven't had them meet doesn't mean they don't exist.) **

The Hall quickly emptied and the large group of fifth, six, and seventh years gathered at the Head Table. A few moments later, all the members of the Order of the Phoenix entered the room, with the exception of Snape. Harry had managed to catch his breath a bit, but he was still slightly winded. He straightened up finally and Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort, is on the school grounds," Dumbledore began. There were several shocked gasps. "We need to prepare for battle. That is why I've called you here."

"Albus, students?" Tonks asked, indicating the gathered DA.

"I am aware that this group has been meeting for the past two years—Harry's fifth and sixth year, that is—and learning both offensive and defensive spells from Harry. I have full confidence in their abilities. Now, Harry, I need to know how many Death Eaters are out there."

Harry thought for a moment. "Probably around a hundred, maybe a little more. I'm not completely sure, I couldn't see how many were surrounding us."

"Us?" McGonagall interjected. Harry swore, earning himself a stern glare from Mrs. Weasley. He ignored her.

"Draco, Hermione, and Luna are still out there!" he exclaimed. He felt Dumbledore's hand tighten on his shoulder.

"Harry, stay out of sight, but go open the front doors," the headmaster ordered. Harry sprinted from the hall without bothering to question the strange orders. He heard Dumbledore telling Remus to alert the Ministry. Harry reached the Entrance Hall and made it halfway to the doors before they burst open, revealing Draco, Hermione, Luna, and Snape. The sky behind them was dark, and Harry saw that it was pouring rain.

"Potter, get into the Great Hall," Snape said tersely. Harry obeyed without a moment's hesitation. Snape swept past him and ran up to Dumbledore. The headmaster turned to the dark haired man.

"Severus?" he said simply. Snape gave a small nod.

"He knows, Albus," Snape said. "He figured it out and I had to run for it. I did manage to get the three students out, but the troops are coming."

Dumbledore turned to the group, which was not much larger. "Keep them out of the castle at all costs. I want them nowhere near the rest of the students. Move out."

Everyone began moving for the door. Dumbledore stopped the DA suddenly. The Aurors and Order members continued into the battle.

"I want you all the stay here," Dumbledore said, holding up his hand to stop the loud protests. "I want to send you out as a last resort. You'll not be risking your lives unnecessarily. Harry is in charge. Harry," he said, turning to the Boy-Who-Lived, "I will call you when you are needed. Until then, stay put." Harry nodded, determination and anger glowing in his emerald eyes. Without another word, Dumbledore swept out of the room. Harry turned to find the remaining people staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, you're in charge," Neville spoke up. "What do we do?"

"We stay put," Harry said. There was an outburst of protests.

"Come on, Harry, we can't just sit here," Seamus said angrily.

"We can, and we will," Harry said.

"The whole reason we started this group was to fight You-Know-Who, Harry," Dean said. Harry was reminded painfully of the night in his fifth year, when Ginny had said the same exact thing to him after he had refused to let her accompany him.

"He's not getting away tonight," Ginny butted in, her brown eyes flashing dangerously. Harry was slightly startled. As she had not been speaking to him, he had not heard her voice since Ron's funeral.

"Have you lot been out there?" Draco yelled, losing it completely. "No! You haven't! I have! We have!" He indicated himself, Hermione, Luna, and Harry. "I know those men out there. They're animals. They'll do anything to win. They won't spare you just because you're a student, or just because you have a family, or just because you're hurt. They'll win at all costs."

"Why aren't you out there with them, then?" Colin Creevy challenged. Draco's eyes clouded over and he started towards Colin. Harry grabbed his arm.

"That's enough, Colin," Harry said firmly. "We're staying put."

"At least go see what's going on," Luna suggested. Harry agreed and approached the door, motioning for the others to stay back. He opened the door slightly.

He stuck his head out into the Entrance Hall. It was thankfully empty. He could hear the sounds of the fighting over the rain from the direction of the open door. It took a lot of self-control to keep himself inside. He began to close the door when a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him into the Entrance Hall. The door to the Great Hall was slammed shut in a shower of sparks. A hand clapped over his mouth and he was slammed back into the stone wall. He looked into the face of his attacker and was met with a pair of startlingly familiar blue eyes. His heart pounded wildly as the hand was removed from his mouth.

"Ron?"

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**A/N: Once again…Dun, dun, dun! Mwahahahahahahahaha!**

**Aren't shoulder devils just the worst? **

**I'm just going to leave y'all hanging on this one. I'm not gonna update for a while, just because the only thing that gets me through the day at school is knowing that my faithful readers are biting their nails and tearing their hair out in anticipation of the next chapter. **

**And I do have the next chapter finished. **

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed in the short time that I've been updating. Wow, what is it, like, three chapters in two days or something? I don't know, but it's been a lot. I am so on a roll! **

**Also, I have no idea if that whole virtual party thing is gonna work out. I am so busy with softball practice and choir practice and everything lately that I just don't have any free time at all. I write these chapters in study hall, and then I have to find the time to type and post them. It just sucks. **

**And guess what? My ex boyfriend, the one that cheated on me, he tried to come crawling back to me. He asked me out again, and I said no! Aren't you all so proud of me? I'm proud of myself! Yay for standing strong! **

**Okay, well, the next chapter will be up soon. Probably before next weekend, and if not, then it will definitely be up before the weekend is over. Oh, except on March 12, I can't update, because I have a show choir competition in Watseka, Illinois. I really have no idea where that is, but it is two hours away from where I live. **

**But make me happy in the meantime and REVIEW! **


	14. Surprise!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the plot. **

**Seven more chapters…

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**

Chapter 13: Surprise!

Ron stepped back from the wall, grinning. Harry felt his jaw drop to the floor as he stared at the man he thought dead until approximately thirty seconds ago. Yes, it was Ron. He was dirty and much, much thinner than when Harry had last seen him, and Harry was honestly surprised that Ron was able to keep himself standing upright, he looked so weak. But he was still the tall, freckled red head that he had been months ago.

"Ron?" Harry asked again, unable to think of anything else to say. His brain seemed to have gone on lockdown. Ron grinned wider and spread his arms.

"In the flesh," he said. "Rather dirty, disgusting, starved flesh, mind you, but who's complaining?"

Harry let out a weak chuckled before embracing Ron tightly. He pulled away, wrinkling his nose.

"You reek," he said simply. Ron burst out laughing and clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Thanks, mate, I missed you too," he said amusedly.

"Merlin, Ron, where have you been?" Harry demanded.

Ron opened his mouth as if to speak, but paused and glanced down at himself.

"Now that you mention it, I do reek. A little help?" he asked, looking pointedly at the wand in Harry's hand.

"You bet," Harry said, grinning. "Scourgify." Ron's hair and skin immediately became clean and his torn clothes repaired.

"Thanks," Ron said, shaking his now shoulder length red hair off his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two pieces of wood. "Now, can you fix my wand? I feel sorta vulnerable without it." Harry repaired the wand and Ron shot several sparks out of it. "Okay, I lied, I don't feel vulnerable," he said, grinning. "I just missed this good old thing. Not that I need it, but still."

"What are you rambling about now?" Harry asked. Ron chuckled.

"Oops, forgot. I can do wandless magic now," Ron explained. "Taught myself," he said, seeing the confused look on Harry's face. "Are there people in there?" Ron asked, motioning to the Great Hall. Harry nodded. "Do you mind if we go in there first? I'd rather not tell more than I have to. Plus, I'm starved."

Harry wordlessly turned and headed towards the great hall, Ron on his heels. Harry pushed on the doors and they swung open, knocking several people to the floor. Harry looked down at Colin Creevy at his feet with raised eyebrows. Colin grinned sheepishly and scrambled up.

"Sorry, Harry," he said. "You disappeared through the doors and then Malfoy tried to go after you, but we couldn't get the door open."

"Whoops," Ron said, stepping into view. "My bad. Didn't mean to put a locking charm on it when I closed it." He grinned at the now silent room.

Suddenly, a squeal rose from the back of the room and Ron was tackled to the ground in a flurry of red. He suddenly found himself flat on his back with his sister wrapped around his torso, hugging him tightly. She pulled back suddenly, positioning herself on his chest, and crossed her arms. Ron grinned.

"Gin, you would never have been able to do that if I were properly nourished," he said playfully. Ginny wasn't amused.

"Talk," she demanded.

"I can't talk with you sitting on my chest," Ron said lightly. Ginny shook her head.

"No way, Ronald. If I get up, you'll probably fall through a hole in the floor, or get sucked into a UFO or something. I'm not moving."

Colin walked over to her and scooped her up in his arms, depositing her in a chair against the wall. Harry helped Ron up. Ron sat down on one of the tables. Harry took a chair at his feet, and the rest of the DA did the same. Luna sat on Harry's lap and Hermione sat on Draco's. Everyone looked expectantly at Ron, who cleared his throat.

"Well," he began, looking rather nervous about speaking in front of all the people. "Where should I start?"

"How about the beginning?" Harry suggested. Ron grinned.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I was born in a log cabin in the woods…"

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, hitting him on the leg. Everyone laughed. Harry was relieved that Ron had not lost his sense of humor. The tension about the battle had disappeared, and Harry hoped it would stay that way.

"Sorry, sorry," Ron said, chuckling. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Just get on with it, Weasley," he said, acting impatient. Ron looked Draco over for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but thankfully kept his comments to himself.

"Well, I'll start with the summer, I guess. It was about a month into the holidays, I think, and my mum had been bugging me to go to bed, because it was around eleven or eleven thirty. She finally got fed up and went to bed herself. She told me that if I didn't get some sleep she would make me degnome the garden by myself for the next three weeks. I don't think I went to bed until well past one. I went up to my room, and when I got there, there were Death Eaters waiting for me.

"They grabbed me and held me down. There was one really scrawny one that looked rather nervous. They nodded to him and he kind of looked me over really carefully. He scrunched his face all up like he was concentrating hard on something, and then all of a sudden I was looking at myself."

"Metamorphmagi," Draco interrupted. "They've got a whole group of them. They're not very strong, but they all know the Killing Curse. They mean nothing to the Death Eaters. They're just there as props. They turn themselves into a person that would be you ally, so you trust them, and then they kill you."

"Yeah," Ron said, nodding. "I heard them talking about that."

"They have other reasons, too, but I don't know what they are," Draco said. "I've never actually see one of them used before. I'm guessing, though, that they used him to take your place?"

"Yeah. Anyways, this guy made himself identical to me, and then they killed him. Since he died in that form, there's no way to turn him back."

"So that's how your family had a body for the funeral," Hermione thought aloud.

Again, Ron nodded. "Then they shot the Dark Mark out the window and took me to their…hideout, I guess you could call it.

"They kept me locked in the dungeons for the last eight months or so. They had these rituals were every day they would come down and torture me for a little while. A few times they used the Cruciatus Curse, but mostly they used Muggle methods. I guess they thought those were more effective, and they were right."

Ron lifted his shirt up to reveal a mass jumble of scars across his chest. He turned around and showed the same thing on him back. Everyone gasped, and Harry saw tears fill the girls' eyes. Ron pulled his shirt back down and continued speaking.

"Then a few days ago, everyone stated freaking out. They were running everywhere, talking about getting things ready. I assumed they were talking about the war. They even forgot to come check on me. Then they all took of tonight, and they were in such a rush that they forgot to re-lock my cell. Morons. I escaped, stole back my wand—or what was left of it—and came here."

When he finished speaking, everyone was staring at him in a horrified silence. Harry was in awe that Ron could talk about his ordeal so easily, even though it obviously pained him to think about it.

"Not sure if that was such a good idea," Draco said finally. "They're all here now."

"Really?" Ron asked, looking surprised. "I used a passage from Hogsmeade to get in, so I haven't seen anything."

Then tension was back. Harry felt increasingly nervous about the part he had yet to play. Suddenly, as if on cue, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore appeared.

"Harry," he said gravely. "It's time."

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**A/N: Tada! Here is the chapter I promised. See, I told you I would have it up before the weekend was over. Have I ever let you guys down before?...Don't answer that, please. LOL! **

**This story is almost over. I have finished writing it, like I said before, but it's not all posted. But next week is our spring break, so I will have all week to finish posting. The story should be done by the end of next week. BTW, that's the week of March 18 (this coming Friday) to March 27 (two Sundays from now). Once again, it should be done by the end of that week. **

**Okay, I have a question. I feel really dumb asking this, but I really want to know. What in the name of Merlin is a beta reader? I have absolutely no idea what one is, and my best friend didn't know, so I'm asking you all. Email me and let me know. **

**Review responses: **

**Fleury: I LOVE BROWNIES! LOL! Thanks, I'm glad I'm keeping people in suspense. **

**SilverTrinity: laughs No, he's not a creepy zombie guy. He's alive and kicking, and he's definitely a good guy. **

**Danu3: Yeah, people are really bizarre sometimes. But I do have a new crush, and I'm moving in for the kill. LOL! PLEASE DON'T CRUCIO ME! I HAVE A GUY TO GET! I'M SOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY! But here is the update, so please don't kill me. Please? **

**Stay tuned for the next update! And in the meantime REVIEW! **


	15. Preparations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: WARNING: This chapter is really, really, really, really short, even by my standards. But I'm making up for it by posting another one with it. Please don't hate me, I'm giving you a double dose. Enjoy. **

**Six chapters left…

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Chapter 14: Preparations

Harry swallowed hard and stood up. He noticed Dumbledore waiting for him and waved the old man on. He wanted a few more minutes. Dumbledore nodded and quickly returned to the battle. Harry turned to the rest of the group and took a deep breath.

"Well," he said slowly, "this is it."

"The big one," Ron jumped in, smiling slightly as they remembered Oliver Wood's pep talks before Quidditch matches.

"The one we've all been waiting for," the entire DA chorused together. They had heard stories about the crazed maniac Oliver Wood, and they as well as the Gryffindor Quidditch team knew the words by heart.

Draco stood up. "You're not going out there alone, Potter," he said. Harry shook his head.

"I have to," he protested. "It's in the prophecy."

"No it's not," Hermione said suddenly. "It only says that you have to kill him. It doesn't say you can't have help. He certainly will." As she spoke, several other people stood up as well. Harry looked around, knowing he was defeated. He sighed.

"All right," he said. "Just everyone be careful. Move out." The DA—every last member—trudged out of the Hall, wands raised and ready for battle. Harry considered telling Ron to stay put, that he wasn't strong enough to fight, but one look at his best friend's face made him shut his mouth. Instead, he grabbed Luna as she passed him. She turned around.

"Harry?" she inquired. Harry took another deep breath.

"Luna," he began. "I want to tell you something. Just…thank you, for being there for me, and being my friend when no one else would. But…I think it's blossomed into more than just a friendship. I guess what I'm trying to say is…Luna, I love you." Harry paused, waiting for her reaction. To his surprise, her misty blue-grey eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Harry," she said softly. "I love you too." Harry smiled and leaned down toward her.

As their lips met, Harry felt the tiniest spark pass between them, and somehow, he knew that it was their magic connecting. He had read books about that happening when two people truly loved each other. He moved his tongue over Luna's lips, and she surprised him by parting them slightly. Their tongues met in a fiery dance of passion as the kiss deepened. Harry pulled away, slightly breathless. Luna looked up at him, happiness dancing in her eyes, her face flushed.

"Be careful out there," Harry told her. He cupped her face with his right hand, stroking his thumb gently over her cheek. "For me."

"You too," she replied softly.

Harry kissed her one final time before running out into the rain.

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**A/N: Wow, that actually turned out better than I thought it would. I am so totally bad at writing love scenes, it's not even funny. Like I said, short chapter, but another one is right behind this one. So do me a favor, and review this one before moving on to the next one. **


	16. The Prophecy, Part I

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: I hope you all reviewed before reading this chapter. I told you it was on the way. Enjoy it, and review!**

**Five chapters left…

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Chapter 15: The Prophecy-Part I

The rain pounded hard on Harry's face, making it difficult for him to see. He was lucky that it was daytime, as the sky provided a minimal amount of light trough the grey clouds. All around him battles were going on. To his left, he saw Tonks dueling Crabbe's father. To his right there was Bill Weasley wrestling a still-masked Death Eater to the ground. There was Remus, fighting Bellatrix Lestrang with a personal vengeance. Harry was relieved to see that the DA members in his sight were battling student Death Eaters instead of fully trained adults.

Harry had no idea where he was supposed to go. He knew that Voldemort was out there somewhere, but he didn't know where. Suddenly, a loud cry came from somewhere behind him, and he whirled around in time to place a shield charm against the stunner headed his way. He heard the person swear and realized that the curse had come from Neville.

"Sorry, Harry, I missed!" the boy shouted, dodging a curse sent at him by Theodore Nott. Harry hit Nott in the mall of his back with a stunner as the Slytherin made a move at Neville. Nott fell forward and Harry rushed to help Neville up.

"Thanks," Neville panted out.

"No problem," Harry said. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have see Lord Voldemort around, have you?" he asked nonchalantly. Neville laughed.

"No, but if I do, I'll let him know you're looking for him."

"Thanks!" Harry said, and took off. His spirits were slightly lifted as he found he people were still capable of jokes, even surrounded by battling Death Eaters.

Harry's heart sank, however, as he came across a battle involving Ron. Ron was surely in no condition to be dueling, especially since he was dueling Blaise Zabini, who Harry knew to be an excellent strategist and knew a load of illegal hexes. He was a Death Eater, after all. But as he watched—hesitant to jump in, in case he was wrong about Ron—it seemed as if Ron had the upper hand. Zabini had an uncertain look on his face, as if he really didn't want to be there, but he had to, at the risk of being vaporized by Voldemort.

Ron shot a well-laced Impediment Jinx at Zabini. But Harry had seen Zabini on a broom (he was a chaser for Slytherin) and the man had wicked reflexes. Zabini hit the ground, rolled over, and sprang up, hitting Ron in the chest with a Full-Body Bind hex before he had even gotten completely to his feet. Ron was flat on his back, completely under the effects of the curse. Zabini bent over him, grinning. Harry raised his wand, and the Stunning Spell was on his lips before he realized that Zabini was talking to Ron with his wand hanging limply at his side. Harry began to move forward to listen when something his him square between the shoulder blades, sending him head over heels through the air. He landed flat on his back at Zabini's feet, the wind knocked out of him. Zabini tensed considerably and raised his wand, aiming somewhere over Harry's head. He suddenly dropped his arm to his side and cursed.

"Pansy, you moron!" he hissed. "You hit Potter!"

"Oops," Harry heard a feminine voice behind him say. Pansy Parkinson's face appeared over his, upside down. "Sorry. I thought it was someone else."

"Obviously," Zabini growled, shaking his head. "Come on, Potter, get up. We've gotta get out of the way here." He held out his hand and pulled Harry to his feet. "Pansy, grab Weasley and drag him over here." He pulled Harry into the forest, which Harry noticed was right next to them. His instincts were screaming at him that it was a very bad idea to follow two Slytherin Death Eaters into the forest, but Zabini had such a tight hold on him that he really had no choice.

Zabini stopped in a clearing and let go of Harry. They both turned to watch Pansy dragging a still-frozen Ron into the clearing by his ankles. She dropped him unceremoniously and stood up straight, brushing out her hair with her fingers. Harry turned to Zabini.

"What's going on?" he asked suspiciously Zabini grinned.

"We're on your side, Potter," Pansy said loftily, still brushing her hair. Harry stared at them disbelievingly.

"Then why did you freeze Ron?" he asked, gesturing to the red head on the ground. Ron glared at all of them.

Zabini snorted. "I tried to explain to him that we were fighting with you, but the stupid prick wouldn't stop attacking. I couldn't get a word in edgewise, so I froze him. I was just starting to explain when you so gracefully interrupted.

Harry flushed but kept speaking. "Why are you on our side?" he asked. Zabini shrugged.

"Honestly…I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "I guess you could say I'm fed up with the Dark Lord and all the evil crap he's been feeding us. How 'bout you, Pansy?"

The girl shrugged as well. "Same reason, I suppose," she said casually. "I'll just be glad when the whole stupid war is over."

Harry eyed the two carefully, then sighed. "All right, I believe you. Just…unfreeze him or something. He's really creeping me out, glaring like that."

Zabini waved his wand at Ron, who fell limply to the ground. He sprang to his feet, angrily glaring around.

"Listen, Zabini," he began, but Zabini cut in.

"Okay, if we're on the same team, at least act like it," He said angrily. "MY name is Blaise. Get used to it."

Ron glared for a moment before speaking. "Fine," he snapped.

"Maybe we should get back to the battle," Harry suggested. Blaise began to agree, but suddenly his right hand clutched a spot on his left arm. He hissed in pain before looking back up at Harry.

"He's calling," he said. "I have to go."

"Wait, I thought you were on out side," Ron objected.

"Well, I can't very well ignore a call from my master, can I? "Blaise said, shrugging. "Come on, Potter, let's go."

"Wait, why does Harry have to go?" Ron demanded. Blaise rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to answer, but Harry cut him off.

"I can spy on them and figure out their next move," Harry said.

"Wait a minute," Pansy said suddenly. "Mine didn't burn."

"What?" Blaise snapped, rounding on her. "What do you mean yours didn't burn, Parkinson?"

"It. Didn't. Burn," Pansy said slowly and calmly.

"Well, I didn't imagine it! I—ow!" Blaise yelped, clutching his forearm again. Pansy paled.

"Blaise, maybe he knows we're helping Potter!" she exclaimed. Blaise leaped forward and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" he hissed fiercely. "What if someone's listening?"

"Sorry," Pansy whispered. Blaise moved to the entrance of the forest and looked out at the on-going battle. He came back in, shaking his head.

"I'm the only one he called," he said. "Everyone else is still out there fighting."

"Not everyone," a voice said suddenly. Pansy screamed as Draco leaped into view, his wand pointed at Blaise.

"I can't believe I trusted you, Zabini!" he yelled. "Let Potter and Weasley go," he said in what would have been a threatening voice if he weren't so completely mistaken. Blaise snorted.

"Shut up, Draco," Harry snapped, grabbing the blonde's arm and pulling him back.

"Let go, Harry, I'm trying to rescue you," Draco snarled, glaring at Blaise, who was shaking with suppressed laughter. His gaze slid to Pansy, who was in the same state as Blaise. Draco's wand arm dropped.

"What?" he snapped. "What in the name of Merlin is so funny?"

"You," Blaise choked out. Draco looked confused.

"What?"

"Draco, you prat, I don't need saving," Harry said in exasperation.

"You…You don't?" Draco asked, completely bewildered.

"He's on our side, you idiot," Harry snapped. Draco looked at Blaise, who nodded.

"He is?" Draco asked. Harry nodded. "He's not a…?" Harry shook his head. "And Pansy's not…?" Another head shake. Draco looked around at them all. "Oh."

Harry snorted and turned back to Blaise. "So, are you gonna go, or not?"

"Oh!" Blaise exclaimed, taking off. "My bad!" he shouted over his shoulder. Harry shook his head.

"Slytherins," he muttered.


	17. The Prophecy, Part II

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: I told you guys that I would get this story posted soon. I have absolutely nothing to do today, so I figured I'd get some chapters posted. Enjoy!**

**Four chapters left…

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Chapter 16: The Prophecy, Part II

Ron shifted impatiently from foot to foot. "Well, are we gonna go?" he asked Harry. Harry shook his head.

"Not you," he told Ron. The red head opened his mouth in surprise. "YOU need to go to the Hospital Wing."

"He's right, Weasley," Draco said. "You just escaped from the Dark Lord, where I know you were hurt worse than you let on. Go to the nurse."

"What do you care, Malfoy?" Ron snapped. "Get lost."

Draco took a step back, looking offended. "Is that any way to treat a person who just risked his neck to save you?" he said indignantly.

"Yeah, considering the fact that we didn't need saving," Ron retorted.

"He's got a point," Harry said to Draco, who ignored him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco demanded, rather stupidly.

"It means you're a stupid git," Ron shot back.

"Maybe so, but I'm not expected to be smart," Draco smirked. "I'm not a bloody perfect Gryffindor."

"He's got a point," Harry said to Ron, who ignored him.

"Take that back!" Ron shouted at Draco.

"Make me!" Draco screamed back.

Ron dove at Draco, tackling him to the ground. Unfortunately for Ron, he had spent many months without proper eating habits, so Draco easily overpowered him. Both seemed to have forgotten they were wizards, as their wands lay forgotten on the forest floor. Harry leaped at Draco, who was now attempting to strangle Ron, and dragged him backwards.

"Guys, get a grip!" Harry yelled. "You're on the same side, you're not supposed to be fighting each other! Save it for the Death Eaters!"

"He's got a point," Ron told Draco, who scowled and began trying to free himself from Harry so he could hit Ron again.

Suddenly, a jet of red light flew past them, just barely missing draco's chest. Draco stopped struggling and Harry let go. The shouts of the two boys when they had been fighting had attracted the attention of the Death Eaters nearby. Now at least thirty were crowded around Harry, Ron, and Draco, sneering at the students. One of them stepped forward.

"Ohh, wittle baby Hawwy can't control his fwiends?" she said in a mocking baby voice, and Harry's fists clenched.

"Bellatrix," he snarled. The Death Eater laughed and removed her hood, revealing the smirking face of Bellatrix Lestrang.

"That's right, Potter," she said. "Miss me?"

"In your dreams," Harry growled, sending a stunning spell at her. She dodged it and laughed coldly.

"Ah, yes, I remember that one," she said, smiling as if remembering a long-lost fond memory. "That's the one that sent my pathetic excuse for a Black cousin through the pretty little veil, isn't it, Harry?"

"Don't talk about him like that," Harry said quietly. Bellatrix grinned.

"Do you want a piece of me, Harry?" she asked. "Come on, come get it."

As they stared each other down, Draco and Ron felt helpless. Though only Ron knew what hat happened between Harry and Bellatrix, both he and Draco knew that this was a personal battle and needed to stay out of it. The other Death Eaters stood by quietly, awaiting the order to attack that would be given by Bellatrix. She was their leader, after all, and if she decided she needed help, she would ask for it.

Bellatrix grinned. "Scared, Potter?" she taunted.

"You wish," Harry sneered, not moving. He wanted Bellatrix to make the first move. He was reluctant to attack, seeing as how there were thirty-some odd Death Eaters backing her up, and he had only Ron and Draco. True, they were both excellent wizards, but they were too outnumbered to do any good.

"You're just as pig-headed and arrogant as your pathetic little godfather," Bellatrix mocked. Harry felt the anger surge through him. He tried to calm himself down. He knew she was only trying to provoke him into attacking. "Weak, good for nothing mutt, wasn't he? You miss him, don't you little Harry? Too bad you couldn't save him, huh?"

"SHUT UP!" Harry screamed. The magic exploded out of him, bursting in a gold light out through his fingertips. The beam hit its target, blasting every last Death Eater ten feet into the air. The light faded, leaving Harry standing in the middle of the now charred clearing, breathing hard.

"Blimey, Harry," Ron muttered weakly. Harry turned to find both Ron and Draco staring at him, jaws dropped.

"I didn't mean to do that," Harry said quietly. "I just…lost control."

"That was brilliant!" Draco exclaimed, voice and eyes filled with awe and respect. "That was probably the strongest display of magic I've ever seen!"

"Er…thanks," Harry said, feeling a bit embarrassed at the praise. "We really need to—" He was cut off as his scar exploded in pain.

He dropped his wand as his hands flew to his forehead. Draco and Ron, knowing what was happening, supported him from both sides. The pain subsided to a dull throb, and Harry lowered his hands, picking up his wand and glancing around for the appearance he knew would be made.

"Potter," a cold voice said. Harry calmly met Voldemort's gaze.

"Tom," he said simply, clearing his mind in the process. All of Snape's Occlumency lessons were coming back to him.

"We must stop meeting like this," Voldemort mused.

"We will," Harry agreed. "After I kill you."

"So eager for violence, young Harry," Voldemort said.

"You're one to talk," Harry snarled, beginning to lose his temper. He just wanted to get this over with and get on with his life.

"Want to kill me, Harry?" Voldemort asked. "Come on, then. I dare you."

"Harry, don't," Ron muttered. "He's setting you up for a trap. Don't do it."

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, only slightly listening to Ron. He resisted the urge to use the killing curse and instead attempted to disarm the older wizard. He was very thankful of his decision as, to his complete and utter amazement and horr, his own wand flew into the hand of Voldemort. Voldemort laughed.

"Like it?" he asked. "It's a handy little spell I came up with in my spare time. Turns your own magic against you. Good thing you didn't try to kill me, eh? And now you are defenseless."

Hands grabbed Harry's shoulders and roughly pulled him back. Draco and Ron positioned themselves in front of him, their wands raised.

"If you want to get to Harry, you're going to have to go through us," Draco declared.

Voldemort rolled his eyes. With a casual, almost lazy flick of his wand, Draco and Ron flew apart and slammed into a tree on either side of the clearing. They struggled to move, but found that they were pinned by an invisible force. Voldemort slowly approached Ron.

"You, my boy, are a rather slippery, stubborn fellow, aren't you?" he hissed at Ron. "You were supposed to stay put. You could have ruined my whole plan. Believe me, you will pay. Crucio."

Ron began shaking, fighting the urge to scream. This one was ten times more painful than the ones back in the dungeons when he was a prisoner. He couldn't hold back anymore and let out a howl of pain that tore Harry's heart apart.

Something inside Harry snapped. Without even thinking his feet carried him towards his enemy. He slammed into Voldemort, knocking him to the ground. Harry quickly rolled over and sprang to his feet. Voldemort rose slowly.

"You have defied me for the last time, Potter. Say good-bye."

Before Harry had time to react, Voldemort had raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

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**A/N: Dun, dun, dun! I'm getting good at cliffies, aren't I? LOL! Never fear, the next chapter will be up quickly. In the meantime, review! **


	18. The Prophecy Fulfilled

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: Warning: Another really, really short chapter. I'll try and post the next one really, really soon to make up for it. The only reason this chapter is so short is because the next events that are going to happen, if I had put them all in this chapter, you'd all be reading until next week. So I've divided the next part up into, like, three different short chapters. Enjoy!**

**Three chapters left…**

Chapter 17: The Prophecy Fulfilled

Harry watched the green light coming towards him as if in slow motion. He had no wand in his hand, as it was now in Voldemort's possession. He knew that there was nothing he could do to defend himself. Ron and Draco's shouts were drowned out by the sound of death rushing towards him, just as it had his parents sixteen years ago.

Suddenly, as if acting on an order, Harry flung his arms straight out in front of him, palms facing the deadly light. A glowing red shield materialized in the air, effectively blocking the path of the curse. The green light hit the shield, and a loud clang, as if from a bell, reverberated throughout the forest. Harry felt the ground tremble with the force of impact, but did not lower his arms. The shield stayed securely in place until the curse was entirely absorbed. The shield disappeared and Harry lowered is arms.

"This has gone on long enough, Tom," Harry said calmly, in a deathly quiet voice. "I'm ending it now."

Voldemort didn't answer, only shot another curse at Harry. Harry sent up his shield again, only this time the spell rebounded and shot straight at Draco. Fortunately, the light missed hitting the blonde by a fraction of an inch, but the invisible ropes binding him to the tree were severed. Draco fell to the ground and sprinted to untie Ron. Harry faced Voldemort again.

"Face it, Tom, you can't win," he said. Voldemort's red eyes narrowed and he scowled.

"I can, and I will, Potter," he snarled. "You will die at my mercy, just like your weak, foolish father and your pathetic Mudblood mother."

Harry's fists clenched. Draco grabbed Ron, who had run forward to help, and hauled him behind the cover of the trees. Ron whirled on him.

"What do you think you're doing? He needs help!"

"I think he's perfectly fine on his own," Draco said, not taking his eyes off of Harry. "Look."

A red glow, the same color as his shield, had appeared around Harry. It began to grow, and the others in the clearing could almost feel the power and anger radiating off the Boy-Who-Lived.

"My parents were a greater witch and wizard than you will ever be," Harry said slowly. "And now, I'm avenging their deaths, and the deaths of all the innocent people you've ever killed. Have fun in purgatory, Tom."

Before Voldemort could reply, a burst of energy exploded from Harry. This one was ten times more powerful than the one that had hit Bellatrix Lestrang, and it seemed to flow from every pore on Harry's body. The blinding scarlet light collided directly with Voldemort's chest. The Dark Lord was lifted off his feet and thrown backwards. He burst into flames, and Harry watched as the body was reduced to nothing but a pile of smoldering ash, the painful screams echoing in his ears.

He had done it. He had killed Voldemort. The prophecy was fulfilled. His destiny was complete.

Those were Harry's last coherent thoughts before the darkness took him under.


	19. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Two chapters left…

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Chapter 18: Aftermath

"…appeared out of nowhere…"

"…scar…"

"…killing curse…"

"The killing curse?"

"Yeah…shield…his hands…flames…I'm only…over fine points…Draco knows…he was there…for good this time, I'm sure."

The voices grew louder as they approached. Harry knew that they were nearby, but he could only make out snatches of the conversation as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, a new voice was added, quite loudly and hysterically, and Harry woke up completely.

"Where is he?" came the shrill, panicked voice of Molly Weasley.

"Molly, quiet, please, he's trying to rest," replied a voice Harry recognized as Madame Pomfrey's.

"I demand to know…" Molly began again, but another voice cut her off. Harry was surprised as Ginny began to speak.

"Mum, shut up!" she exclaimed. "Harry's fine, he's sleeping over there."

Harry opened his eyes to find everything blurry. He reached for his glasses and sat up. The curtains were drawn around his bed, but he could see the shadowy figures of people on the other side.

Madame Pomfrey pulled the curtains back and jumped when she was him awake. She immediately began to fret over him while Ginny looked sheepish.

"Congratulations, Harry," she said quietly, giving him a small smile. "You did it."

"He's really gone?" Harry asked, almost afraid to believe it. Ginny's smile grew larger.

"He's really gone," the red head repeated. Harry couldn't stop the enormous grin that spread across his own face.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"There's still a bunch of thick-skulled Death Eaters who refuse to believe that their master is dead. The DA is helping the order round them up," Ginny explained. Molly rushed forward suddenly and enveloped Harry is a bone-crushing hug only she could give.

"Harry dear, are you alright?" she asked.

"Um…I'll be fine, Mrs. Weasley, as soon as I can breath," Harry gasped out. Molly immediately released him.

"Please, dear, call me Molly," she insisted. Harry grinned.

"No can do, Mrs. Weasley," he said mischievously.

"Well, Harry, I see no reason why you can't leave," Madame Pomfrey announced. Harry smiled.

"Good!" he said, climbing out of bed. With a wave of his hand, he was fully clothed. He ignored the surprised looks on the women's faces at his display of wandless magic.

"Let's go out to the battle," Ginny suggested.

"Wait, you're speaking to me again?" Harry asked.

"Well, I decided that I had gone on long enough, and considering the circumstances, I didn't think it was very fair to hold a grudge, so I just…"

"Oh, please," came a voice from the doorway. "I talked her into it." The four of them turned to see Ron leaning against the doorframe. In Harry's opinion, he looked much better. He had gotten something to eat, and cleaned himself up a bit.

Harry and Ginny were not shocked to see him there, as they had already seen him before. Harry was a bit surprised that Madame Pomfrey didn't freak out, but he decided that Ron had already spoken to her as well. Molly's jaw hit the floor and she leaped forward and seized her son.

"Ronnie! Oh, Ronnie, what are you doing here?" she demanded, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I'll explain later, mum," Ron said, pulling away gently. "I just came to tell Harry that the last of the Death Eaters have been caught, and you're expected down in the Great Hall immediately."

"Ok," Harry said. "Let's go. Where's Draco, Hermione, and Luna?"

"I'm not really sure at the moment where Luna is, but I think she's in the Great Hall. Draco and 'Mione are helping some of the Aurors take a death count for both sides."

"Were there any deaths on our side?"

"Well…" Ron hesitated, and Harry's heart sank.

"Who?" he asked.

"Well…there were a couple lower-level Aurors that died, I don't think we knew any of them, and…um…" Ron trailed off again.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt was killed by Lucius Malfoy," Ginny said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Harry stopped.

"Kingsley?" he repeated in disbelief. "How? He was one of the top Aurors!"

"We don't know exactly how, there were no witnesses," Ginny said. "But Tonks found his body at the entrance to the forest. We think he was going to check out the blast of magic that came from in there, and Malfoy snuck up on him." Harry felt a surge of guilt at her words. He had been the one to cause the blast of magic. Ron noticed his downcast eyes and cut in hastily.

"We thought at first that Malfoy was in the group of Death Eaters you blasted into next week. But then we started rounding up remaining Death Eaters after you passed out, we caught sight of Malfoy running toward the boundaries of the school, most likely so he could Apparate out. Coward. Anyways, Ginny shot a stunner at him, hit him from at least a hundred yards away, most amazing stunning spell I've every seen. Knocked him flat on his face, he tumbled down and fell into the lake. We couldn't find him. We think maybe the Giant Squid ate him. It was brilliant though." Ginny looked proud at the level of praise her brother was giving her. Harry smiled a bit.

"Congrats, Sparky," he said, referring to the old nickname he had given her several years back. He had been the only one she allowed to call her that, and he hadn't called her Sparky in months. It felt good to know that she was back on his side. Ginny grinned.

"Thanks," she said.

"But speaking of blasting Death Eaters," Ron cut in again. "Those ones you hit, Harry? Dead."

"All of them?"

"Yup."

"I killed them?"

"Yup."

"You got revenge for Sirius as well as your parents," Ginny said soothingly. Harry grinned.

"Excellent." Ron and Ginny laughed.

They reached the Great Hall at that time, and Harry pushed the doors open. As silence fell over the room as he stepped in.

Suddenly, an explosion of cheering nearly knocked Harry off his feet. Every single person in the room was on their feet, screaming and clapping their hands, some stamping their feet. Harry slowly made his way up to Dumbledore, who smiled proudly at him from the Head Table.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore began. "It is over. You have done well. I am so very proud of you. Your parents and Sirius would be too. Every single person in the entire wizarding world will be forever grateful to you."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said. "But I couldn't have done it without the support of everyone, especially Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley."

Dumbledore's smile suddenly turned sad. "Yes, a memory of a dear friend can last for a lifetime, and inspire and guide us in our time of need."

"Who're you calling a memory, old man?" Ron demanded, shoving people out of the way and finally reaching the Head Table. The look on Dumbledore's face was priceless, and Harry was positive he would never forget seeing the headmaster's jaw hit the floor. Ron began to explain, when suddenly the doors burst open and Hermione came barreling in, closely followed by Draco.

"Sir, we've received urgent news," she said hurriedly. She turned and looked sadly at Harry. "It's Remus…"

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**A/N: Sweet Merlin, I'm on a roll! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is almost over, but please stay tuned until the end. Review please!**

**Review replies:**

**Danu3: It's so good to know that I'm loved! Oh, btw, thanks for the comment about the whole purgatory thing. I wanted Harry to say something witty and almost mean to him, but I really didn't want him to say "See you in hell," because I don't want Harry to go to hell! But I'm glad to know that you pay attention to the story! Do I really have that many spelling errors? I'll work on fixing that. Thanks for the review!**


	20. Missing

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: Sorry for the little mix-up in chapter 15, or 16, or whatever it was that had the duplicate. I was trying to correct my spelling mistakes, and I guess I ended up putting the same chapter in twice. My bad! Thanks for being tolerant, though. The funny thing is, I wouldn't have noticed anything wrong if one of my beautiful reviewers hadn't let me know. Thanks for being so alert and observant! LOL! **

**Hey, guess what! This is the second to last chapter! The next one is the last one! Okay, I'll let you in on a little secret (looks around to see if anyone's listening) I'm thinking of writing an Epilogue for this baby. Because the ending I've got for this story kind of leaves a lot hanging. Okay, not a lot, but it's not a very good ending, in my opinion. So I think I'm gonna write an Epilogue. What do you guys think? So this story might actually have two more chapters after this one, I'm not completely sure yet. **

**Enjoy this one, though!

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Chapter 19: Missing

Harry's heart plummeted. "What about him?" he asked.

"He's…well…we can't find him," Hermione stammered, her eyes filling with tears. Draco wrapped his arms around her and continued.

"We got word from one of the lower level Death Eaters," he said. "Okay, actually, it was more of a vague hint, but it was from Blaise Zabini, who informed us tonight that he was on our side. He says that he was involved in the capture."

"Is that why he was called away?" Harry cut in. Draco nodded.

"Wait a minute," Ron said. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Here we go again," the blonde muttered. Ron glared at him.

"If Zabini is on our side, why did he help capture Remus?" Ron asked, choosing not to respond to Draco.

"Dunno," Harry said. "Draco?" he asked, turning to the blonde.

"I've got him right outside the door. I can bring him in, if you want," Draco said.

Harry spoke up as he saw the headmaster hesitate. "Sir, I was there when he explained his loyalties. I can't really vouch for him, but I do trust him."

"Alright," Dumbledore agreed, though some people still looked hesitant. "Bring him in."

The doors opened and Blaise walked in, looking around nervously. Every person in the room had their wands out, knowing full well that Blaise was—or had been—a Death Eater. Blaise approached Dumbledore and stood there rather awkwardly.

"Mr. Zabini, you have something to share?" Dumbledore asked. Blaise nodded.

"Well, I was called by the Dark Lord only a few moments before Harry destroyed him. We had already had a plan set up to kidnap the werewolf, we were only putting it into action." He looked apologetically at Harry. "Honestly, I had not idea why he was so important. We were simply told that he played a major role in the war and he would be the easiest to retrieve. That's why I didn't tell you when we were speaking," Blaise told Harry and Ron.

"So you knew why you were being called?" Harry asked, growing angrier by the minute.

"Yes, but Pansy didn't. She's not too high up on the loyalty list, really. The Dark Lord didn't trust her too much. So I had to play dumb when mine burned and hers didn't. But she ruined it when she yelled for the world to hear that we were on the Light side. When I was on my way to the meeting place, I was ambushed and attacked for being a traitor. Fortunately for me, Wormtail has horrible aim."

"Wormtail?" Harry said sharply.

"Yeah." Blaise lifted the sleeve of his robes to reveal a nasty cut on his left upper arm. "He was trying to cut out my heart with Diffindo, but he missed. He pouted and started shaking his wand, as if his wand had something against him, and I took the advantage and killed him."

"He's dead?" Harry said, dismayed. "I wanted a go at him." Ron chuckled slightly.

"So you didn't actually kidnap Remus?" Hermione asked. Blaise shook his head.

"So you don't know where he's being held?" Draco continued.

"Not precisely where he's at, but I have a pretty good idea of where he could be."

"Do you really?" Hermione asked earnestly. Blaise nodded. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Whoa, hang on, 'Mione," Draco said. "We can't just barge in…wherever 'in' is. We need a plan."

"I'll take you there," Blaise offered. "I know the HQ like the back of my hand." HE held up his hand for emphasis.

"What's that?" Hermione asked, pointing to what looked like a large black grease stain across the back of his hand. Blaise studied it closely.

"No idea," he said seriously. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm convinced," he said sarcastically.

"About what?" Ron asked stupidly. Draco gave him a look.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm surrounded by idiots?" Harry asked no one in particular. Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak when—yet again—the doors opened and Luna walked in. she spotted Harry and flew into his arms.

"Harry!" she squealed, hugging him tightly.

"Luna!" he squealed back, in perfect imitation of the blonde girl. She glared at him.

"I'm so happy for you," she said excitedly.

"Yeah, I'd e happy for me too, if Remus wasn't missing," Harry said sullenly.

"Remus is missing?" Luna gasped. Harry nodded. "Where is he?"

"Well, gee, Luna, I don't know," Draco said sarcastically. "Maybe that's why he's _missing_?"

"Shut up," Luna snapped.

The door burst open—yet _again_—and Snape tumbled in, in a most un-Snape-like fashion. He was out of breath and his normally pale face was flushed, as if he'd just run a great distance.

"Sir," he panted at Dumbledore. "Sir, we've found him."

"You found him?" Harry cried excitedly. Snape nodded, trying to catch his breath.

"Well, my work here is done," Blaise said, beginning to edge his way out of the room.

"Freeze," Draco said, grabbing his arm. "You're still a Death Eater."

"Aw, crap," Blaise sighed. "Thought I'd get out of that one."

"Is Remus alright?" Harry asked Snape.

"He's fine," Snape said, his sneer beginning to return. "He's up in the Hospital Wing. Poppy insisted on checking him over. I don't believe he was gone long enough for any serious damage to have occurred. He wants to see Potter, of all people."

Harry shot Snape the dirtiest glare he could muster before hurrying out of the room, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Luna, and Dumbledore on his heels.

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**A/N: Okay, so, like, everyone in that chapter was OOC somewhat, which kind of sucked, because that's not how I wanted it to turn out. But my fingers have minds of their own, and they just kept typing, I had no control. I hope you liked this chapter, but I won't blame you if you burn my house down with all the flames you send me. Okay, I would mind if you burnt my house down, but I won't mind if you flame me. I'll just have a big bonfire, do some tribal dances, stuff like that. But stay with me, I'll have the next chapter up soon, and that one will be better, I promise. Review! **


	21. My Happy Ending

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: K, remember when I said that this would be the last chapter? JUST KIDDING! I'm actually putting an Epilogue on this story. I still have to write it, but it will be there. I just couldn't leave the story off like this chapter ends. Just as a side note, the Epilogue will take place 20 years in the future, at the graduation of Harry and Luna's kid. Just so you're all aware of that. 20 years does seem like a long time away, but Harry and Luna would only be 37, and if they had their kid when they were 20 (which is not uncommon), then by the time they were 37, their kid would be 17, and graduating from Hogwarts. **

**Okay, totally off topic. You know those chocolate bars filled with caramel from Kathryn Beich? THEY ROCK! And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I am so so so so so so so so sorry that you have never had one. Once again, THEY ROCK! I swear, I think I've eaten, like, thirty in the last week. **

**Okay, ADD moment over. Enjoy this chapter! **

**P.S. My crappy computer deleted Microsoft Word for some really strange reason, so the thing I'm using now doesn't have spell check, so please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes in this chapter and possibly the Epilogue. Thanks!

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Chapter 20: My Happy Ending

Harry burst through the doors to the Hospital Wing, nearly giving the nurse a heart attack. Remus looked up from the book he was reading and grinned.

"Hello, all," he said cheerfully. "What brings you so noisily into my hospital room on this lovely day?"

"Remus!" Harry exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"I'd be even better if I could get out of here," Remus groused. Madame Pomfrey looked stern.

"Now, Mr. Lupin, keep quiet and take your potions," she ordered.

"Oh, do I have to?" Remus pouted.

"The sooner you do, the sooner you can leave," she said. "Honestly, Remus, you are not a student anymore. Act your age."

"Well, in that case," Remus said, grinning slyly, "people my age date. What do you say, Poppy?"

She looked shocked. "Remus!" she cried. "I'm at least seven years older than you!"

"You're right. I need someone older," Remus said, winking. Madame Pomfrey blushed and ducked into her office. Harry, Ron, and Draco burst out laughing, while Hermione, Luna, and Ginny simply looked annoyed.

"Really, Remus, you shouldn't play with a woman's emotions like that," Hermione said sternly.

"Oh, Merlin, she's gone into lecture mode," Ron muttered. Hermione glared at him while the others sniggered.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Harry said exasperatedly.

"Let the man have some fun, 'Mione," Draco said, wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her neck. She giggled, turned around, and bgan leading him out of the room.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ron said.

"Dunno," Hermione called over her shoulder. "My plan is the Head Dorms, but we might get a bit side tracked by an empty broom closet along the way."

"Oh, bad images!" Ginny exclaimed, closing her eyes and clapping her hands over her ears as Draco's face lit up excitedly.

"Oh, come on, Gin, it's not like you haven't done anything like that before," Luna commented. Ron began turning red.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he spluttered. Ginny flushed.

"Thanks, Luna," she muttered angrily. Luna grinned sheepishly.

Ron grabbed Ginny's arm and began hauling her out of the room. "I wanna talk to you," he growled. Ginny jerked her arm free.

"Thank you, _Ronald_, but I am not a child," she snapped. "I can make my own decisions."

"No, you can't. I wanna know who you've been in a broom closet with."

"That is none of your business," Ginny said cooly. "That is between me and Colin, and you...oh, crap," she said sadly as she realized her slip-up. Ron's face turned purple. Ginny turned and walked out of the Hospital Wing, Ron on her heels, the two of them bickering the whole way. Remus chuckled.

"Those two remind me so much of your parents, the way they always fight like that," he said to Harry. Harry grinned.

"They really get annoying, though," Luna said. "They never shut up."

"You get used to it after a while," Harry told her. Remus stretched and glanced around.

"Hey," he whispered. "What do you say we sneak out of here while Madame Hitler is busy?"

"Harry snickered. "Come on, then," he said.

Remus climbed slowly out of bed and the three of them headed quietly to the door. Harry had his hand on the knob before the nurse's voice rang out.

"Remus! What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

Remus groaned. "Poppy..." he began.

"Don't you 'Poppy' me," she snapped. "Get back in bed right now. I don't want you leaving until I say so. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Remus sighed defeatedly.

"We'll see you later," Harry said, leading Luna out of the room before Remus could protest. Luna giggled.

"He's a character, isn't he?" she said.

"Yeah, he is," Harry said fondly. "He's a great guy."

"Not as great as you, I'm sure," Luna teased. Harry grinned and swooped down on her, pinning her to the wall and capturing her lips with his.

"Oi! For the love of Merlin, get a room!" Ron's voice yelled as he came around the corner.

Harry laughed and scooped Luna up in his arms, carrying her off down the corridor, his mind set on their destination...the nearest broom closet.

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**A/N: Hey, finally finished. Sorry it's been so long, my computer's on the blink again. Well, this is the second to last chapter. The next one is the very, very last chapter. I don't know whether I'm happy or sad. What am I going to do with myself? Oh, yeah, I have several more stories that I need to update, don't I? Okay, I have an announcement. Only ten more reviews, and I'll have 50 for this story! That would be so cool! Well, please review, and I'll post the Epilogue as soon as I can. Bye!**


	22. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

**A/N: At the bottom. MUST READ THIS ONE, IT'S THE LAST ONE FOR THIS STORY!

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Epilogue

_(twenty years later)_

Albus Dumbledore stood up and everyone quickly became silent. The old man smiled around at them all, his blue eyes twinkling madly.

"Welcome, all, to this year's Graduation Ceremony!" he said, and the Quidditch Pitch erupted in cheers. Dumbledore stood on the stage where he and the rest of the staff were arranged, waiting for the ceremony to begin. All of the graduating students were seated in chairs on the lawn, while all of the parents, friends, and other spectators were seated in the stands. Dumbledore waited for everyone to quiet again before speaking. "We are about to begin. I will stand up here and call out the names of the students. When the student's name is called, he or she will walk up here and accept their diploma from me, and then proceed to greet the rest of the staff members. Now, let us begin." He picked up a roll of parchment from the table next to him and unrolled it. It fell onto the stage and kept rolling until it was well past the headmaster's feet. He paid no attention to the length and began to read.

"Abercrombie, Elizabeth," he called. A tall girl with long, dark brown hair walked calmly up to the stage, accepted her diploma from Dumbledore, and proceeded on to the rest of the staff. Minerva McGonagall had tears in her eyes as she hugged one of her Gryffindors. Elizabeth looked a bit stiff as she quickly shook Severus Snape's hand. She moved on to the next person, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, rather eagerly. Harry Potter gave the girl a fatherly hug, which she gladly returned. The school nurse, Luna Potter, did the same. Elizabeth sat down and the next person was called. Suddenly came a name that Harry and Luna knew very well.

"Creevey, Allison!"

The girl with brilliantly red Weasley hair stood up and accepted her diploma. She hugged all of her teachers (McGonagall crying, of course) until she reached Harry and Luna, who just so happened to be two of her godparents. The two staff members hugged her together. Harry looked up into the stands and caught sight of Ginny and Colin waving madly at them. Their daughter happily returned the wave before sitting down.

The ceremony continued rather slowly, Harry and Luna anticipating three more names more than all the others. Suddenly, one came.

"Malfoy, Reese!"

A tall boy with nearly white blonde hair stood up and walked up to the stage. He held himself remarkably like his father. Snape gave the boy a small smile. Reese was the only non-Slytherin student that had Snape's affection. Needless to say, Draco had nearly wet himself when he heard that his son had gotten sorted into Gryffindor. He had gone off on a rant about the Sorting Hat being fixed, and even threatened to go so far as to marching up to the school and demanding a re-Sorting. His wife, however, had quelled that thought as quickly as it had come about. Reese hugged his godparents, Harry and Luna, tightly before turning and raising his arms in triumph. Everyone laughed, and Harry could have sworn he heard an "Honestly!" coming from the boy's mother in the stands. Harry had to laugh; it was so like Hermione to be embarrassed by her son on such a proud day.

The next name was the one Harry and Luna had been waiting for the most.

"Potter, Codi!"

The tall girl with brilliantly green eyes (though thankfully had inherited her mother's hair instead of her father's messy black hair) stood up and carried herself elegantly to the stage, much like Luna herself moved. Codi accepted her diploma, moving down the row of teachers (surprisingly giving Snape a friendly hug) before coming to her parents. Luna had tears of pride in her eyes as she looked at her daughter. It seemed like only yesterday that she was bottle-feeding the little girl, and now she was graduating Hogwarts. Luna let out a wail and threw herself at her daughter. Codi found herself being suffocated by her sobbing mother, while the audience laughed. Usually Hermione was the emotional one, and Luna contained herself quite well. Harry grinned at Codi and gently pried Luna off of her. He gave Codi a hug and sent her on her way, his heart swelling with pride as he watched his little girl take her seat. He sat back and waited for the final name to be called.

"Weasley, Skylar!"

The incredibly tall red headed boy stood from his seat and headed for the stage. He had almost made it there when he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. As everyone laughed, Skylar picked himself up and continued on his way as if nothing had happened, grinning his lopsided grin, his cheeks tinged pink. Harry could just see Ron punching the air and yelling "That's my boy!" while Skylar's mother, Lavender, moaned and covered her face with her hands, worrying about whether or not she needed to tend to any injuries. Harry laughed. Skylar approached Harry and Luna, grinnng madly.

"Whoops," he said quietly, chuckling at himself. He knew he was clumsy, and he made the best of it. Harry and Luna laughed and gave him a hug, which he returned. He turned to take his seat again, but accidentally dropped his diploma, knocking the hat off of a girl's head in the front row. Everyone laughed as Skylar apologized and hurried to sit down before he caused any major damage. At last, Dumbledore stood up.

"And now, would the Head Boy and Head Girl please come up here for their speeches," he requested. Harry grinned as Reese and Codi stood up. He had not been surprised when Reese had been selected as Head Boy, as both his parents had been Heads in their day. He had nearly had a heart attack when he heard about Codi, though. The girl had unfortunately inherited his knack for adventure, and Harry was constantly being called from his classes to attened to punishments dealt by various professors. She had, unsurprisingly, become best friends with Reese, Skylar, and Allison, all Gryffindor students, and the four of them could not be sparated. They had been caught, mostly by Snape, out of bed after curfew nearly every night since they started at Hogwarts. But they were good kids, and Harry couldn't be prouder of them all if they were his own children, instead of his best friends' children.

Reese stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. He grinned at everyone, and Harry distinctly heard nearly every girl sigh. Codi rolled her eyes and poked Reese in the back.

"Quit flirting with everyone and get on with your speech," she hissed. Reese laughed.

"Okay, okay," he said, clearing his throat again. "Fellow classmates. Graduation day. Wow. I honestly thought this day would never come. I acutally find it hard to believe that it did come for some." He coughed, and everyone distinctly heard him say "Skylar" undercover of the coughs. Everyone laughed as Reese wiggled his eyebrows at his best guy friend. "No, I'm just kidding. But really, doesn't it seem like it's been forever since we started here? Seven whole years ago. Once again, Wow. It's been great, though. I mean, what more could a person ask for? Learning magic, playing pranks, being with your friends every day, sneaking out after curfew...playing pranks," he said again. Everyone laughed again. Reese, Codi, Skylar, and Allison were notorious at school as pranksters. They were almost as bad as Fred and George Weasley had been in their day. But then again, Fred and George were Skylar and Allison's uncles, and they were pretty much like uncles to Reese and Codi as well, so it wasn't really surprising that they were so much alike. "But on a more serious note. My parents and godparents have all told me stories about when they were at school. Not the fun times they had, but the difficult times. Like how they had to attend school under the threat of Lord Voldemort. I am just very thankful that we did not have to deal with any of that, and I hope that no one has to ever again. I hope that one day, my kids can go here and have fun like I did. I hope that I can come back and teach here one day. Hint, hint, Professor," he said, looking at Dumbledore. Everyone laughed as Dumbledore gave the boy a thumbs-up. "Well, that's all Codi wrote down for me to say, so I guess I'm done here." Reese grinned at Codi, who punched him in the arm, grinning back at him. Everyone laughed and applauded as Reese stepped back and let Codi take over.

"Okay, first off I would just like to say that I did NOT write his speech for him," she said, glaring at Reese. "He wrote it all on his own. But anyways, on to my speech." She cleared her throat. "Like Reese said, it's really hard to believe that this day is finally here. But for me, it seems like only yesterday that I was walking through those doors, ready to start my education. And now I'm walking through those doors in the other direction, ready to start my life in the real world. I hope that my kids will be able to come here one day. And if they do, there is no way on Earth that I am letting them become friends with _him_," she said, pointing at Reese, who whistled innocently. Everyone laughed. "Although it might be kind of hard to avoid each other, as both our kids will be in Gryffindor, Uncle Draco," she said, waving up at the blonde in the stands. Harry clearly saw Draco cross his arms and scowl, muttering to himself. Everyone knew about Draco's displeasure about his son being in Gryffindor, despite how much he loved his son. Everyone laughed again. "I also hope that no dark threats will fall upon future generations, and everyone will be able to live somewhat peacefully from now on. And I would just like to thank my dad for that fact. Thanks, Dad," she said, turning to Harry and grinning. Harry grinned back and bowed playfully. Codi laughed and continued. "Well, that's my speech, which I _did _write. Enjoy the rest of your lives, everyone!" She grinned again and she and Reese linked arms playfully and walked off stage.

Everyone applauded as Dumbledore stood up again. He smiled. "And now I would just like to say, congratulations, graduates! May your lives be long, happy, and prosperous!" Every one of the graduates cheered wildly, throwing their pointed wizarding hats into the air. Many of the girls were crying as everyone hugged each other. Parents began making their way down to the lawn to collect their students.

Harry and Luna met up with Ron, Lavender, Ginny, Colin, Hermione, and Draco. All of the girls were crying and all of the guys rolled their eyes at their wives. But they couldn't help but be proud of their children as they made their way into the adult world. Harry grinned.

"I have a feeling we're gonna be doing this in about twenty more years with all our grandchildren," he said. Draco crossed his arms and scowled.

"My grandchildren are _not _going to be sorted into Gryffindor," he said hotly.

**Fin.

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**A/N: Wow! It's finally finished! My baby is finally finished! This is my very first finished story! I'm so happy! I really had so much fun working on this story, I'm almost sad that it's done. I really hope you all liked it. I love how it turned out, even though it is completely different from my first vision of it when I started writing it. It has taken so many different turns, I think only the first chapter is what I was originally planning. The rest of it is nothing like I imagined it. **

**I just want to thank all of my beautiful reviewers. You guys have really been great. Especially Danu3, who has reviewed every single chapter from the very beginning. I think that's the reason so many people reviewed, because that one person liked it so much and gave me such positive reviews. Danu3, you were always so supportive of me, and always gave me positive feedback. You also gave me constructive critisism, and it always helped me to correct some things that I had wrong. I don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you so much. **

**Well, I'm moving on to other things. Don't forget me, I do have other stories that I'm working on. TTFN, tata for now. I will return!**

**Angel-In-Gold613**


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